Wish
by fanwriter1245
Summary: Shy Emmeline Brooks never knew what she was getting into when she got a job at the Torch. Quickly becoming friends with Chloe, Pete, and most importantly Clark, she's in for one very unexpected wild ride. Multiple pairings.
1. Pilot

Emmeline was shy and quiet. She had been since she was little and just never grew out of it. So she surprised even herself when she walked over to a guy who had dropped all of his books on the ground.

She leaned down and handed him a couple of the books. "Here," she said quietly. When they met eyes, she realized that this guy was super attractive. He had gorgeous green eyes that seemed to see through her and he had a really, really nice smile. She nervously pushed her hair behind her ears. "Um, I'll see you later." She hugged her books to her chest and quickly walked off as the bell rang inside the building.

Clark looked after the girl. He had never seen her around before and Smallville High wasn't a terribly huge school. Where had she come from?

Later that day during free period, Emmeline walked through the halls until she found the room she wanted. She knocked on the door and slowly entered to find a blonde girl sitting at one of the computers.

"Yes?" the blonde girl said.

"Um, is this the Torch?" Emmeline asked. "I need to do some extracurriculars and I was wondering if you had an opening."

Chloe put her hand to her mouth. "Uh, if you're interested, the only thing I've got open is a proofreader. You'd have to go over the entire issue and make sure everything flows and is correct."

"Okay. I'll take it."

"Great! I'm Chloe. What's your name?"

"Emmeline."

"That's a pretty name. I look forward to working with you. We meet every day during free period in here."

"Alright. I'll see you then."

"Hey, Chloe," Clark said as he came into the room. "Which picture do you think we should use for this article?" He stopped when he noticed Emmeline. "Hey, I remember you."

"Clark, this is Emmeline," Chloe said. "Emmeline, Clark Kent. She just joined the staff as our proofreader."

"Welcome aboard. I promise it's not as scary as everyone makes it out to be. And as a proofreader, you won't even have to go out and talk to anyone."

Emmeline gave him a shy smile. "I'll see you both tomorrow then," she said quietly.

Chloe and Clark looked at each other as she left. "What do you think?" Chloe asked. "Should I not have done that?"

"No, she's shy, so this could be the way to help her stop being a shrinking violet."

"It hasn't done much for you, has it?"

"Very funny, Chloe."

The next day, Emmeline met up with Chloe in the Torch office. "Hey!" Chloe said as she noticed Emmeline walking in. "I've just set up a desk for you over here. I've even got the first article for you to look over."

"Great," Emmeline answered quietly. She took a seat at her new desk and couldn't help but feel a little prideful. Chloe handed her an article and Emmeline got reading. At the end of free period, Emmeline handed the completed article back to Chloe.

"Whoa," Chloe commented at the sight of a ton of red marks. "Don't go too easy."

"I'm sorry," Emmeline mumbled. "Should I have just—"

"No! It's good! Usually people who proofread are way too nice and we end up having a ton of errors in the issue. At least you've proven to me I made the right decision."

Emmeline gave a shy smile. "Thanks."

Chloe smiled back. Another guy stopped by the door. "We still on for after school?" he asked Chloe.

"Yeah! Oh, Pete, this is Emmeline, our newest gal. Emmeline, this is Pete."

"Oh, so you're the fresh meat," Pete said to her. "Glad to see a new face."

"Hey, you wanna go grab a bite with us after school?"

"Sure," Emmeline answered shyly.

The three of them headed out once the bell rang when they saw a crowd gathered around one of the stores on the main street. When they went over to see what was up, emergency personnel wheeled a guy out on a stretcher and put him into an ambulance.

"That's the third guy this week," Pete remarked.

"And they're all former jocks," Chloe added.

Pete tapped on Chloe. "Who's the weirdo?"

"I don't know. Let's check him out." Chloe took a picture of the strange guy watching. After the three of them had gotten some food, they headed back to the school and met up with Clark in one of the study rooms.

Chloe pulled out a yearbook from 1989 and then put the picture she had taken earlier up on her laptop.

"His name's Jeremy Creek. This is a picture of him twelve years ago," she said pointing to the yearbook. Then she pointed to the computer. "This is one I took four hours ago."

"That's impossible," Clark said. "He'd be like 26 today. Must be a kid who looks like him."

"My money was on the evil twin theory till we checked this Missing Persons," Pete added.

Chloe passed Clark a report. "Jeremy disappeared from the state infirmary a few days ago where he'd been in a coma for twelve years. They say he suffered from massive electrolyte imbalance."

"That's why he hasn't aged a day," Pete explained.

"So you're telling me he just woke up," Clark said.

"Well, no," Chloe added. "There was a huge electrical storm, and the hospital's generator went down, and when it came back on, Jeremy was gone."

"The electricity must have charged him up like a Duracell," Pete said.

"And now he's back in Smallville putting former jocks into comas," Clark put together. "Why?"

"Because twelve years ago today, they chose Jeremy Creek as the scarecrow."

"'Comatose boy found in field, twenty yards from meteor strike'," Clark read on a newspaper clipping.

"The exposure to the blast must have done something to his body," Chloe told him.

"No, this can't be right. What do you think, Emmeline?"

Emmeline just shrugged her shoulders, happy with not putting in any input.

Pete looked over at Chloe. "I think you ought to show them."

"Show us what?" Clark asked.

Pete and Chloe took Clark and Emmeline to a dark room. Inside was a huge billboard covered in newspaper clippings and paper print-outs.

"It started out as a scrapbook and just kind of mutated," Chloe said.

"What is it?" Clark asked.

"I call it the Wall of Weird! It's every strange, bizarre, and unexplained event that's happened in Smallville since the meteor shower. That's when it all began. When the town went schizo."

Emmeline looked at the billboard in awe. She could only imagine how much time went into building up this collection. It was really impressive.

"So, what do you think?"

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Clark demanded.

Chloe scoffed. "Do you tell me everything that happens in your life? We all keep secrets, Clark."

 _She has a point,_ Emmeline thought. She did not dare say that out loud.

Clark looked at one cutout of a cover of TIME magazine with a crying little girl on it. "Lana?" Clark muttered. "My fault. It's all my fault."

He quickly ran out of the room leaving the other three to look after him, wondering what had just happened.

Emmeline went after him to see where he was going. When she got outside, she saw Clark get attacked by Whitney and the football gang and shoved into the back of a truck. Because Emmeline could never raise her voice above a level two, all she could do was watch in horror as Clark was taken away.

She quickly went back to the study room, but Chloe and Pete were nowhere to be found. Because it was late in the day, mostly everyone had gone home to get ready for the Homecoming game and the dance following.

As she left the school to go find someone to get some help, she began thinking what would happen if the football guys found out that she had told someone about their prank. She had no doubt that they would hurt her. Clark was a lot tougher than her so he could handle whatever they did, right? She couldn't.

Reluctantly, Emmeline went home instead.

As the Homecoming Dance went on back at school, Emmeline sat in her room, haunted with visions about what those guys could've done to Clark.

Why couldn't she just find the courage to speak out? If she did, maybe she could've saved him.


	2. Metamorphosis

As soon as Emmeline woke up the next day, her thoughts drifted to Clark. She was still furious at herself for not doing something. Why did she have to be so shy?

Her parents wanted her to drop by the Farmer's Market and pick up some produce for them, so she found herself getting into the family's car and driving down the road to where the event was being held.

She began walking around the place, looking for anything her parents might want. She ended up passing by the Kent family's tent where Chloe and Pete were helping set up.

"Emmeline?" Chloe called out as she passed by.

Emmeline walked over to the tent. "Hey," she said quietly.

"What are you doing here?"

"My parents wanted some things from here so I'm getting everything for them."

A red-haired woman looked up at that moment and noticed the extra person present. "Hi," she said shaking Emmeline's hand. "I'm Martha Kent and this is my husband, Jonathon. We're Clark's parents."

"Nice to meet you."

"All hail the Homecoming king and queen!" Chloe called out as she saw Lana and Whitney approaching. Emmeline's heart sank as she recognized Whitney from the day before.

Lana came over to the group. "Hi! I'm Lana," she said to Emmeline. "This is Whitney."

"I'm Emmeline." Her eyes avoided Whitney as much as possible, an act that did not go unnoticed by Lana.

"Clark, I didn't see you at the dance last night," Lana said to Clark.

"Oh, I was…" Clark started. He looked over at Whitney. "I was a little tied up."

Tied up? What had those boys done to him?

Lana looked from Clark to Whitney wondering why Clark had directed that sentence at him.

"Hey, congratulations!" Jonathon said to Whitney as he shook his hand. "That was one heck of a game. I haven't seen an offense that good since I played."

"Thank you, Mr. Kent," Whitney said.

"I'm going to get the rest of the boxes out of the truck," Clark said.

"I'll help."

Jonathon handed Lana a peach as Whitney departed. "Lana."

"Thank you."

"See anything you want, Emmeline?"

"Um…I'd love some of your corn, and how about some apples?"

"Sure thing!" Jonathon wrapped up her food in a bag and Emmeline paid him for it.

"Thanks."

"Any time!"

Chloe looked after the girl leaving. "Hey!" she called. "Emmeline!" Emmeline turned around to find Chloe walking towards her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seem a little…out of sorts."

Emmeline sighed. "Have you ever seen something you wish you hadn't? And when you look back, you wish you'd have done something?"

"All the time. Did something like that happen?"

"It's…kind of complicated."

"You're talking to the Queen of Complicated. Wanna share?"

"Um…you know, it's not really my place to talk about it. I'll see you at school." Emmeline quickly walked away, leaving Chloe standing alone. On the way out, she ended up bumping into someone. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"No worries," the other person said to her as he kept walking.

She looked back to see who she had bumped into, and her brow furrowed when she realized that it was Greg. But it was not the Greg she knew from around school, the one famous for collecting bugs. This Greg was…kind of handsome. What happened to him?

"Hey!" Greg called as he ran over to her. "It's Emmeline, right?"

Emmeline began blushing. "Yeah."

"Name's Greg. Greg Arkin."

"I've seen you around," Emmeline replied, refusing to meet his eyes.

"You're the new proofreader for the Torch I heard."

Emmeline nodded.

"Well, do you think you could help me with my Lit paper? I could use someone like you to look over it and make sure it's okay."

Emmeline finally looked up at him and began blushing more as she realized that he looked even more attractive up close. "Um, sure. Library tomorrow after school?"

"It's a date."

Emmeline quickly walked away before she completely blew it because her face was beet red.

The next day when Emmeline walked into the Torch office, she went to her desk and proofread more articles for the upcoming issue. At one point, Clark looked over her shoulder at all the red marks she had made.

"Wow, you don't go halfway," he said.

"I want to do a good job."

"So, my parents want you and your family over for dinner tonight if that's okay."

"Really?"

"It's kind of an initiation," Chloe chimed in. "We've all had dinner with the Kents at one point or another. Me, Pete, Lana, we've all done it. So now it's your turn."

"Well, I'm helping Greg Arkin with a paper after school, but after that it should be fine."

"You're helping Greg with a paper?"

"Yeah, he saw me at the Farmer's Market and asked for my help."

The bell rang signaling that free period was over, so neither Chloe nor Clark were able to ask more.

After school, Emmeline showed up in the library and found Greg sitting at one of the tables. "Hi," she said shyly.

"You made it."

"I said I would."

"Take a seat." Emmeline sat down next to him while Greg pulled out some sheets of paper from his backpack. "Here it is."

Emmeline took a red pen and began making marks left and right. By the end, there were so many marks, there was almost more red than black or white.

"Boy, you're a lifesaver. I didn't realize my paper was so bad."

Emmeline smiled a little. "Did I go too overboard?"

"No, these are really good notes. Now I'm sure to get an A. Thanks."

When she looked over at him, she noticed him looking at her kind of longingly which caused her to begin blushing again.

"Hey, you wanna go out and get some dinner?" he asked.

If possible, she blushed even harder. "I wish I could, but Clark invited my family over for dinner and it would look pretty bad if just my parents went."

"Clark Kent? You're gonna blow me off for him?"

"I'm not blowing you off, I promise." Emmeline started to get nervous. If there was anything she hated, confrontation was at the top of the list. "We can do it some other time."

"So you'd rather spend time with Kent? What, is he more important than me?"

"No, it's not that. I just…I have to go." She quickly gathered up her books and papers and took off.

"Wait, Emmeline!" She kept walking until she out of the library and out of the school then rushed home to get ready for dinner.

"Mom!" she called when she got in.

"In here, Emmeline!" her mother called back from the living room.

"The Kents have invited us over for dinner tonight."

"Have they? That's nice of them! I'll go tell your father." Her mother got up and left the room. Emmeline went upstairs and threw her hair up into a ponytail since it was looking a little worse for wear.

Then the three of them, mother, father, and daughter, all went over to the Kent farm. They were eagerly greeted at the door and ushered inside.

"Clark, Mr. and Mrs. Kent, these are my parents," Emmeline said quietly.

Her parents looked at her. They had always known she had been shy and try as they might, they could not get her out of it.

"It's good to meet you," Martha said with a smile. "The table's over here."

Everyone sat down and Emmeline found herself sitting across from Clark. Every now and again, she'd meet eyes with him and he'd give her an encouraging smile. She was always so amazed at just how gorgeous that smile was. She stayed pretty silent through dinner except for an occasional nod.

"Clark," Martha said. "Why don't you show Emmeline the loft?"

"No problem," Clark answered. "Come on."

He and Emmeline headed out to the barn and he led her to the upper level. "Wow," she remarked. "It's nice up here."

"I was just telling Lana earlier that my dad calls it my 'fortress of solitude'."

"I'd love to have a place like this. A place I could just go to whenever I wanted to get away from the world."

"Maybe you should spend some more time in the world."

Emmeline sighed. "I know. It's just…hard when I feel like the world is against me."

"The world isn't against you. I can promise you that."

"Clark…I have to tell you something. And you have every right to hate me for it and kick me out of here."

"What are you talking about?"

"On Saturday, when you left after Chloe showed you her wall…I saw the football guys shove you into the truck. I—I wanted to do something, but I was just scared of what they might do to me if they found out I told someone. It's not like I can defend myself, and I just figured that you were tough and could handle it when I couldn't. But the guilt ate away at me for the rest of the day and I have spent nearly every waking moment since that day wishing that I had done something for you."

"Emmeline, it's okay. You were scared. It happens to everyone. But I don't blame you and I certainly don't hate you. It's not your fault that that happened to me, okay? It was Whitney's and Whitney's alone."

Emmeline gave him a little smile. "Emmeline!" her mother called. "It's time to go!"

"I'll see you later, Clark," Emmeline said as she went down the stairs. "Thanks for showing me your 'fortress of solitude'."

When Emmeline entered the Torch office the next day to start proofreading, no one was there. Chloe had left a note on her desk that read "Meet us at the Wall". So Emmeline went to the room Chloe had showed her and Clark a few days prior. She knocked on the door then entered. "Hey."

"Emmeline," Chloe said. "Come on in. You're not going to believe this."

"What's going on?" Emmeline asked.

"I saw Greg in my barn last night after you left," Clark told her. "He wasn't entirely…human."

"What do you mean?"

"I found an article about Amazonian tribesmen who took on the traits of the insects they'd been bitten by, but nothing as extreme as what you're talking about," Chloe said. "Did you have any luck?"

"Only that Greg didn't move to Smallville until after the meteor shower, so he couldn't have been exposed to the blast," Clark answered.

"Yeah, but his bugs could have been. Think about it, guys. Pieces of that meteor are still buried all over Smallville. The whole habitat's infected. So when boy catches bugs and bugs bite boy, you end up with 'bug-boy'."

"Look, Chloe, you can't even walk out your door in the summertime without being bitten by a mosquito. Why don't we have a whole town of bug people?"

"Uh, because you need a certain level of toxins to cause a mutation. Those Amazonian tribesmen were all attacked by swarms."

"Greg did keep tanks of bugs in his room. Maybe they got sick of the view and staged a revolt."

"Well, according to this, bugs have a very short life cycle. So if he really has gone Kafka, let's hope he isn't in the mating phase."

"Oh, my gosh," Emmeline moaned, putting her hand to her head. "I spent an hour and a half with him yesterday and he's turned into some kind of 'bug freak'?"

"You'll be fine," Clark assured her. "Just try to stay away from him."

"You know, he got really weird when I said I was going to Clark's for dinner."

The three of them looked at each other as they tried to process what was going on. Chloe grabbed Pete after school and they all went over to Greg's house.

"It doesn't look like anyone's home," Chloe said as she peered through the window.

"The place is a mess," Pete remarked. "Remember what a neat freak Greg's mom was?"

"Yeah," Clark agreed. "She used to make us take off our shoes. One time I forgot and she yelled at me."

"Is that what broke up the friendship?" Chloe joked.

"After 7th grade, Greg's parents got divorced and he just stopped calling after that."

"Which stunk because he had a killer tree fort his dad built in the woods!" Pete said with a smile.

"It was okay."

"Clark never liked it. He used to get dizzy just walking over there."

"How come?" Chloe asked.

"He was afraid of heights."

"I didn't believe it was structurally sound," Clark countered.

Chloe pried open one of the windows. "You guys, come here." One by one, they all climbed into the house through the window. It smelled awful in the house and it was really, really hot. Black streak marks went all across the white walls.

"You guys!" Clark called from the bathroom. The other three went in and were met with a gross sight at the bottom of the shower.

"Oh man," Pete said as he took pictures of it. "That's disgusting. What is it?"

"I think it's skin," Clark answered. "He must be molting."

"You guys better come in here!" Chloe called. "Guys?"

They all ran into the room and were met with the whole place covered in spider webs which made Emmeline want to run out of the house screaming.

A video of Lana was playing on the TV. "Looks like you're not the only one in Smallville with the hots for Lana," Pete said.

"I think Greg's found his mate…" Chloe said.

Emmeline shuddered at the thought of sitting so close to the boy just yesterday and actually wanting to go out to eat with him. That's what she got for thinking someone could actually like her.

Clark moved over to the corner of the room where the webs were much thicker. He pulled the web apart and a decayed body fell out of it, making them all jump. Emmeline put her hand to her mouth.

"Oh, my…"

"Lana," Clark said as he took off.

Chloe, Pete, and Emmeline ran out of the house, the image of the corpse still haunting their thoughts.

Lana was usually out riding at that time of day, so Clark ran to the stables. "Lana!" he called. When he walked in, he saw that Whitney was with her.

"Clark?" Lana said. "What's wrong?"

"I think Greg is after you."

"Greg Arkin? I haven't spoken to him for weeks."

"Kent, are you insane?" Whitney asked.

"No, I just went to Greg's house. There was a video of Lana playing on his TV."

"Are you saying he's been recording me?" Lana said disgusted. "But…I can't even remember the last time I talked to him."

Clark's brow furrowed. "But if he hasn't reached out to you at all, then…" A realization crossed him.

"Clark? What is it?"

"Emmeline."

* * *

Emmeline ran into her home and into her mother's arms. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" her mother asked.

"It's complicated."

"You can tell me anything. You know that."

"That guy I helped with his paper yesterday? Greg Arkin?"

"Yes, what about him?"

"He's…he's turned into some kind of bug freak. I mean he's taken on the traits of every single bug out there. And he…he killed his own mother."

"Oh, dear Lord. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just weirded out by all of this."

"Don't you worry. You're safe in this house."

No sooner had the words left her lips when the front door was busted down. There stood Greg.

"Emmeline, run," her mother ordered. "Now!"

"I won't leave you!"

"Go!"

Before her mother could do anything, Greg threw her across the room where she hit her head and got knocked unconscious. "Mom!"

Emmeline tried to run, but Greg stood in front of her everywhere she turned as he moved faster than humanely possible.

"What do you want?" she asked shakily as she tried to back away from him.

"It's time."

"Time for what?"

"For us."

Greg reached for her, and before she could even comprehend what was going on, everything went black.

* * *

"Emmeline?!" Clark called as he ran into the girl's house. He panicked at the sight of her mother on the floor unconscious. "Mrs. Brooks!" He gently shook her awake and she began to come to.

"Clark? That boy, Greg, was here!" she told Clark. "He threw me across the house and grabbed Emmeline. He took my baby!"

"It's okay. I think I know where he's going."

"Bring her back to me, Clark."

Clark sped off faster than possible and ran to the old tree house Pete had talked about earlier when they went to Greg's house. Once he saw the tree house, he sped up inside of it. Inside, he saw Emmeline knocked out underneath a blanket of webbing. He started to move towards her when he heard, "Get away from her."

Clark looked over and saw Greg perched in the corner of the tree house. "Greg, I know what's happened to you."

"Well then you know that I've been freed."

"No, you haven't. You're a slave to your instincts."

"I have no rules, Clark. I eat what I want, I go where I want, and I take what I want."

"You're not taking her."

"Well, then try and stop me."

"You're not the only one who's changed."

Greg tackled Clark and they both fell out of the tree house. When Clark got up, he looked over in time to see Greg leap over the wired fence that led to the old Creekside Foundry. Clark followed him, but as soon as he stepped inside, the familiar feeling of pain swept over him. He felt like he was being electrocuted from several different angles and his body was immediately drained of all energy.

He pressed on, but suddenly, Greg appeared behind him and whacked him with a huge pipe. Clark went flying all the way across to the other side of the place which just added to the immense pain he was already feeling.

"You haven't changed at all, Clark," Greg taunted. "You still get sick around this place, just like when we were kids. Hey, Clark. Did you know the Buffalo ant can lift 30 times its own body weight?"

Greg lifted Clark up and threw him across the room once more. Clark forced himself to get up and leaned against a piece of broken concrete. When he looked at his hands, they returned to normal.

"Clark?" Greg called out. "Clark, where are you? Come on out! I just want to play. Clark, please? Come out!"

"It's lined with lead," Clark muttered to himself as he looked at the concrete.

"Give it up, Clark! You can't fight natural law! Only the strong survive." Clark came out of his hiding place and slammed Greg against another concrete slab. "Did you really think you could hide from me?"

Clark threw him hard and Greg crashed against a support beam. He tried to pull himself up, but he accidently knocked over a lever next to him. A huge piece of construction equipment came crashing down.

"Greg, watch out!" Clark yelled.

The construction piece fell onto Greg, crushing him. When Clark walked over, thousands of little bugs crawled out from under it. Clark grimaced then sped off back to the tree house. He approached Emmeline and ripped the webbing, freeing her. She slowly regained consciousness and looked up at Clark.

"It's alright," Clark said to her tenderly as he gently touched her head. He helped her sit up and got her completely out of the webbing.

For someone who was already shy enough as it was, the whole experience took a toll on the poor girl and she began to cry softly. Clark held her in his arms and comforted her as he helped her out of the tree house and took her back to her house.

"You'll be okay?" he asked on her porch.

Emmeline nodded. "Thanks, Clark."

"I'm just glad you're all right."

She smiled and went inside. "Mom?"

"Emmeline?" Her mother rushed towards her and enveloped her into her arms. "Are you alright, baby?"

"Yes, I am," Emmeline said quietly as she hugged her mother back. She looked up at her and saw a massive bruise on her forehead. "You're hurt."

"It's just a bruise, honey. I'd gladly take a thousand of them if it means you're safe with me."

Mother and daughter hugged again tightly. Nowhere was safer than her mother's arms.


	3. Hothead

As Emmeline, Chloe, Clark, and Pete all left the football field, Chloe was showing her friends her newest edition of the Torch that she and Emmeline had just finished yesterday during free period.

"'Football: Sport or Abuse'?" Clark said in disbelief as he read the headline.

"So, what do you think?" Chloe asked.

"I think you need to seriously decrease your cappuccino dependency."

"Pete thinks I'm being too hard on Coach Walt."

"I mean, the man coached my dad, all my brothers. He used to come over and watch the Super Bowl," Pete said.

"Now, while I'm touched by that Hallmark moment, you don't get points for subtlety in journalism. I've already started getting hate mail."

"You seem very happy about that," Clark commented. "Why?"

"Because it means I'm hitting a nerve. Besides, between the abysmal sentence structure and generous use of obscenities, I've got a pretty good idea of who's been sending it."

"If you think my teammates are reading the Torch, you're giving them way too much credit," Pete joked.

By now, the group had reached the courtyard where they saw Lana in a heated discussion with Whitney right before Lana stormed off.

"Whew!" Chloe half-laughed. "There's something you don't see every day. A pompom meltdown!" At that moment, some of the football players came out of the school. "Ooh, ooh, here they come! Pete, I need a picture of the cheating jockstraps."

Coach Walt joined the others and started addressing those gathered around.

"Any idea how they got that midterm, Chloe?" Clark asked.

Chloe took her camera and began taking pictures. "It's still a mystery, but I'm working on it."

The players looked over at Chloe and they didn't look happy about having their picture taken. One of them threw a football at Chloe's head, and just as it was about to make contact her, Clark's hand shot out and caught it.

"Whoa, nice catch!" Pete laughed.

"One of your teammates attempts to assassinate me, and all you say is 'nice catch'?" Chloe asked Pete angrily.

She began quickly walking off as Pete called after her, "I thought you wanted to hit a nerve!"

Clark threw the football back at the jock and the force hit him so hard that he keeled over. "Come on, Emmeline," Clark said as the bell rang. "Let's get to class."

Emmeline hugged her books close to her chest and looked away when she realized a couple of the jocks were staring at her. She still hadn't gotten over that whole incident with Greg, so she was putting off guys for quite a while.

Later that day, Emmeline went to get a water bottle from the vending machine when Pete and Clark came around the corner.

"Hey, Emmeline!" Pete said.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"How's your day going?"

"It's good. I have a Calc test next class."

Both of the boys grimaced in sympathy when Coach Walt approached them. "Hey, Kent," he said to Clark. "I saw your arm out there. Technique was lousy, but you got a lot of power."

"Thanks!" Clark said with a polite smile.

"So why aren't you on our team?"

"My dad needs me on the farm."

"Well, your school needs you on the field. We got a big game on Friday night. We're short players. Look, look, I know your dad would understand."

"He's kind of stubborn."

"Yeah, I remember. Jonathan Kent was one of the best athletes I ever coached. A lot of talent. It's in your genes, Kent."

"Actually, I'm adopted."

Emmeline raised her eyebrows a little. She hadn't known Clark was adopted! It was nice that he seemed to have such a good relationship with his parents despite the fact they weren't blood-related.

Coach Walt frowned and grit his teeth, and to be honest, he kind of freaked Emmeline out. "Look, I am giving you a chance to be a part of something special, a part of history. Now, I've seen you stare at your father's picture in that trophy case. Don't tell me you don't want to be a part of this. Why don't you suit up? Look at Ross here. He doesn't have a lick of natural talent, but he's got a truckload of heart." Well…at least he was an honest coach.

"Thanks…I guess," Pete stuttered.

"Let me think about it," Clark said to Coach Walt.

"Fordman, get over here!" Coach Walt called. Whitney and Lana walked over to the group.

"Hey, Clark," Lana said. Emmeline couldn't help but notice that Lana always seemed to be…well, not necessarily flirting with him, but she was acting like more than just friends with him. That seemed wrong to her seeing as she already had a boyfriend.

"Fordman, you're the team captain," Coach Walt continued. "How do you think Kent here would do on the field? I mean, considering our current predicament?"

Whitney looked Clark up and down as if studying him. "He might do all right."

"Hmm…he seems afraid though."

"That's not the reason, is it, Clark?" Lana said in an attempt to defend him. There it was again.

"It's my dad," Clark answered sheepishly.

"Kent, there comes a time when you gotta step out of your father's shadow and be your own man. Now what do you say? You ready to be your own man?"

Clark paused and then smiled. "Count me in."

Emmeline looked at Clark. She hadn't expected him to cave so easily.

"Good. I will see you at practice today, 3:00. Don't be late."

Coach Walt walked away and Emmeline wasn't going to lie that she felt way more at ease when he was gone.

"Hey, Clark," Pete said as he pointed to his ear to make a point. "Hey, um, remind me what your dad said last time you asked him to play."

"…He said no."

"He said no. That's what I thought. Call me when the hurting's done. Okay?"

Pete walked off as Emmeline smiled at his comment. Clark looked at her. "You think I made the right decision, right?"

Emmeline sighed. "It's not my place to say anything," she answered quietly.

"No, really, I want your opinion."

"You're…you're following the crowd. You just want to be one of them, but you're not. You're Clark Kent, and that name doesn't end with 'football jock'."

She walked off before he could say anything more.

The next night, after everyone, especially Clark, needed a break, the group decided to go get some coffee at the Beanery. Pete had so eloquently explained to Emmeline and Chloe all about how Principal Kwan had been caught in a fire in his car and he had been the "hero" because he got the paramedics. Everyone knew Clark was the real hero because he was able to actually pull Kwan from the car.

"You guys, it doesn't make sense," Chloe said as they walked down the street. "Cars don't just spontaneously combust."

"The cops said it was faulty wiring," Clark said.

"I've already got my headline: 'Jockstrap Saves Principal From Burning Car'."

"Will you lay off the 'jockstraps' thing?" Pete asked, annoyed.

"I still can't believe Clark's been blinded by the Friday night lights."

"I joined the football team, not a cult," Clark defended himself.

"What's the difference?" Emmeline said under her breath. Evidently, Chloe had heard her and she smirked at her.

"Yeah, next I'm gonna be joining the pompom brigade."

"I hear there's a spot open," Lana's voice suddenly rang out as she walked in between them all.

"Lana, what are you doing here?" Clark asked.

"Taking your order, I hope."

"What is this? Some sort of cheerleading charity, like be-a-waitress-for-a-night sort of thing?" Chloe said. Emmeline couldn't help but hint the ever so slight disdain Chloe hid in her voice.

"Yes, it is, except for the cheerleading and charity parts, and tips are always appreciated."

"So you're a waitress for real?" Clark asked.

"Even got the perky name tag to prove it."

"First day?" Pete put together.

"Ever."

"Where's your necklace?" Apparently, Clark was in too much shock to do anything but ask questions.

"Strict dress code. No jewelry and no open-toed shoes."

"You look very…waitress-like."

Finally, something other than a question.

"Now, if I could only tell the difference between a half-caf decaf and a nonfat latte."

"In that case, I'll have a regular coffee," Chloe said.

"Hey, times four," Pete added. Emmeline, Pete, and Chloe all sat down at a table while Clark decided to return Lana's tray and go talk to her. What a surprise.

"Clark Kent is a football player and Lana Lang is a waitress," Chloe remarked.

"What's the matter with that?" Pete asked her.

"Nothing. I just wanna click my heels and get back to reality. Next thing I know, Emmeline is going to be a public speaker."

Emmeline smiled at her little joke because the idea of her becoming a public speaker was quite comical.

One of the football players came in and said something to his teammates that Emmeline couldn't make out. Almost immediately, they got up and left.

"What's up with your fallen brethren?" Chloe asked Pete.

"I don't know."

As if she had just gotten struck by lightning, Chloe bolted out of her seat, grabbed her jacket, and headed for the door. "I'll see you both tomorrow."

"Chloe?" Clark said in confusion as Chloe bolted past him.

"Relax, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

As Lana came to the table with their coffees, someone bumped into her and the glasses went splattering all onto the floor. The place applauded and Emmeline wanted the earth to swallow her up for her. If there was anything she hated more than confrontation, it was public embarrassment.

"Where's Chloe going?" Clark asked as he sat down.

"I don't know," Pete answered. "She just saw the football players and suddenly took off. I guess she got some inspiration or something."

"That does sounds like her."

The three remaining members of the group decided to call it quits on their outing early and it wasn't long before Clark offered to walk her home.

"So, are you going to the pep rally tomorrow?" Clark asked.

"That's…not really my thing."

"Then what is your thing?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Locking myself in my room with my homework and then a good fantasy novel."

"We have to get you immersed in school spirit."

"One thing at a time, Clark. I've joined the Torch and right now, that is enough for me."

"Well, maybe the longer you hang out with Chloe, the more her extroverted personality will rub off on you. Although, perhaps not completely, because she tends to get herself in some weird situations because of that."

Emmeline smiled. "I like that about her. She's not afraid to go out and get what she wants and she speaks her mind."

"You want to be able to do that too, huh?"

"More than anything. Sometimes I feel like there's this wild girl inside of me who is kicking and screaming to get out, but this shy girl won't let her."

"Then we'll just have to coax her out ourselves."

By this time, they had reached Emmeline's front porch. It hit her that the last time they had stood here together was when he had delivered her home after Greg kidnapped her. The thought made her fingers start to shake a little.

"Hey, are you alright?" Clark asked.

"I'm fine." From the look Clark gave her, it was obvious he didn't believe her. "I guess I'm still a little on edge from what happened a few days ago."

"I understand."

"If you hadn't been there…"

"Don't think that way, okay? It's in the past, and Greg can't hurt you anymore. I promise."

Emmeline looked up at him. She couldn't over just how gorgeous those green eyes and that smile were. He just made her feel so…at ease. "Thanks, Clark. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night, Emmeline."

The next day, Emmeline walked into the Torch office to find Chloe cleaning up an absolutely scorched place.

"What happened?" she asked in shock.

"I'll tell you what happened. I went to go print an article about Coach Walt going nuts and he fried everything."

"Wait, what?"

"I don't know how he did it, but Coach Walt can somehow…command fire. Like he's gone all _Firestarter._ "

"Normally, I would think you're crazy, but after everything that happened with Greg, I've found myself willing to believe a lot more than I did before."

For a while, the two girls attempted to clean up what they could in the office, but after some time, it was clear the rest was for a professional.

"Clark was supposed to meet me here," Chloe said. "But Clark Kent not showing up. What else is new?" Emmeline laughed lightly at her comment. "He's probably with his parents. Why don't we head down to the game?"

"I think I'll pass on that one."

"Come on, just this once? You'll be among friends."

"…Alright, fine."

"Yay!" Chloe grabbed Emmeline's hand and they went to the bleachers to watch the upcoming game.

"Chloe! Emmeline!" they heard. They turned to find Mr. and Mrs. Kent coming to sit next to them

"Hi, Mrs. Kent! Hi, Mr. Kent!" Chloe called.

"Smallville's resident cynic have a change of heart?"

"Well, I decided to put my personal politics aside to support my friends."

"Yes, we're trying the same philosophy."

"Where's Clark?" Jonathon asked.

"I don't know," Chloe answered. "We were supposed to meet him before the game, but he didn't show. I thought he was with you guys."

Chloe, Emmeline, and Jonathon all went to the sidelines to see if anyone knew where Clark was.

"Jonathan, you know the rules," Coach Walt said to him and Emmeline and Chloe came down. "No parents on the sidelines."

"I'm looking for Clark," Jonathon answered.

"Join the club. I need him out here. I guess he doesn't have what it takes to be a winner, huh?"

Jonathon came back over to the girls. "Nobody's seen him."

"I think the coach is lying," Chloe said.

"What's going on here, Chloe?" Chloe chose not respond and that told Jonathon what he needed to know. "All right, I'll check the locker room, you guys check the school."

Now Emmeline may have been shy, but she was also really smart and could think logically since her antisocial behavior gave her a lot of time to work her brain. Knowing Clark, she put together that he had most likely confronted Coach Walt before the game which most likely took place in the Coach's office. If Coach Walt had tried to light up Principal Kwan and Chloe, then he probably did something to Clark too.

She took a shortcut and headed to the coach's office even though girls weren't supposed to be in there since it was inside the guys' locker room. Hopefully, no guy was in there or she would never want to show her face in school again.

Luckily for her, no one was in the room because they were all out on the field. She walked into the coach's office and saw some meteor rocks on the ground. When she looked up, the glass on the door to the "sweat box" was broken. She stood on her tip-toes and looked inside. There lay a nearly unconscious Clark on the ground.

"Clark!" she called. She tried to open the door, but it was locked. She quickly scoured the room for keys but found none. Instead, she scrambled through all the drawers in the coach's desk until she found a paperclip. She opened it up and pried it into the lock until it clicked.

"Clark!" she said as she went over to him. She took his head in her hands and gently shook him. "Clark! Are you alright?"

"Just get me out of here," he said weakly.

"Alright." She tried to help him up, but she was a lot smaller than he was and she was having trouble doing so.

"Clark?"

"Mr. Kent!" Emmeline cried.

Jonathon ran into the room and found his son on the ground. "Clark!" Together, he and Emmeline got him up and out of the "sweat box".

As soon as they were out, Jonathon got whacked on the head by Coach Walt which sent all three of them to the ground. Coach Walt came after Emmeline first to which Clark quickly pulled him away.

"Emmeline, get out of here," Clark said firmly. "Go!"

She didn't need to be told twice and ran out of the locker room to leave Clark to deal with Coach Walt.

It didn't take long for a ton of fire trucks to arrive on the scene to deal with the torched locker room.

"Clark!" Emmeline cried running up to him. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am. How about you?"

"I'm ready for things to get back to normal."

"What even is normal anymore?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. What happened in there?"

"Coach got a little crazy and he just…burned himself up."

"Oh my goodness. I think winning went to his head."

"Just a little."

Mr. Kent started walking over to them and Emmeline pointed him out. "I'll leave you two to talk."

As Emmeline watched the two Kent men walk away, she felt Chloe's arm drape around her. "You too, huh?"

"What?"

"You've fallen for the Kent man?"

"No…I have not."

"Don't try to deny it. I can see the look in your eyes."

"Do you like him?"

"I will vehemently deny it with anyone else…but yes, I do. My chances with him would be better if Lana Lang just got out of the picture. I mean, we've been best friends since eighth grade, but he has no idea how much I want to be more than friends."

"He is a keeper."

"Let's make a deal. If either one of us gets him, the other will be genuinely happy for her."

Emmeline smiled broadly. "Deal."

The two girls shook hands and that was the moment Emmeline realized that after countless years, she had finally found a true friend.


	4. X-Ray

It was no secret that most people at Smallville High hated gym class. Emmeline was no exception. For a shy girl, gym class was basically a torture chamber. She hated being put on the spot when they did sports because she was terrified she'd make a mistake and look foolish in front of her whole class. Running the mile wasn't so great either because she didn't want to finish first and she didn't want to finish last lest all attention be put on her, so it was more exhausting for her to find a good pace to go at where she could end up in the middle than it was to actually do the run.

So of course, that was the day all the girls were due to run the mile. Emmeline was in Lana's class, but she really wished Chloe was with her. Ever since that night they had made a promise to each other, Emmeline wanted to hang out with her as much as possible. They had gone to the Beanery several times just the two of them for a nice chat, and it was so refreshing for her. She had never had someone to do that with before.

When Emmeline and the rest of the girls came back in from the gym, the guys were climbing the rope and it was Pete and Clark's turn. Emmeline couldn't help but hang back to watch the two boys climb, interested to see who would get there first. Pete ended up winning.

Suddenly, without warning, Clark lost his grip on the rope and came crashing down to the hard ground.

"Clark!" Emmeline cried as she ran over to him. When he looked up at her, his face contorted to a look of horror. "Are you okay?"

His gaze went to what seemed like nowhere, but she didn't miss the small shadow of a smile that crossed his face.

What on earth was going on with him?

The next day, Emmeline, Chloe, and Pete were walking down the halls when they saw Clark staring off into space with intense concentration.

"Hello, Clark," Chloe said trying to get his attention.

When he didn't move at all, Pete waved his hand in front of his face. "Is everything okay?" he asked as they all laughed when Clark flinched.

"Have you guys ever noticed anything strange about Tina Greer?"

"Nothing that would require the intense concentration you're exerting to look at her," Chloe responded.

Pete shook his head. "The only thing weird about Tina is the amount of time she spends idolizing Lana."

"Yeah, she's practically her clone. Come on, let's go."

The three of them headed to the Torch office to get started on the latest issue. Emmeline looked behind her to find Clark looking at Tina again. Something really weird was going on with him as of late.

But the last thing she wanted to do was pry into matters that weren't any of her business.

Later when Chloe was typing up an article and Emmeline was proofreading, they heard a sound at the door.

"Pete, you throw that rubber spider again, and I'm going for my staple gun," Chloe said without looking at the door. Emmeline smiled as she kept her head over her article.

"Mind if I come in?" Lana's voice said. "Hey, Emmeline."

Emmeline acknowledged her with a small smile as Chloe finally turned. "The girl who writes for the pom-pom parade is, no surprise, out with mono." There was that disdain again. It made a lot more sense now that she knew Chloe had a thing for Clark while Clark had a thing for Lana.

"This week's editorial?"

"My semiannual 'where-are-our-priorities' rant."

"For what it's worth, I really like what you've done with the paper this year."

"Well, that puts you in the majority of one." After a small pause, she added, "I'm sorry about the pom-pom crack. Once I hit 'take no prisoners' mode, it's kind of hard for me to shut it off."

"Actually, I admire it. You know who you are and you go for it."

Chloe stood up and began shuffling papers. "Well, I appreciate the compliment. However, I know you haven't come down to this hole to give me a pep talk."

"The Torch prints the graduation speech every year, right?"

"Having transcribed last year's snore-fest, that's an unfortunate yes. What year?"

"1977."

"That's P.C."

"P.C.?"

"Pre-computer, when disco ruled the earth. Anything we have before then is gonna be H.C."

"Hard copy."

"You catch on fast." Chloe went over to a file cabinet and started flipping through the files. "Uh, let's see. '77, here we go." She pulled out a very old issue of the Torch. "'Saturday Night Fever' was their prom theme. Styx won 'Group of the Century', and…wow. Someone got in the administration's collective face."

Lana looked at the issue and read, "'Due to the controversial nature of this year's graduation address, the editors have elected not to run the text in this issue of the Torch'."

"Meaning, ironically, it's probably the only one worth reading. You know, maybe I could track something down for you. Do you know who gave the speech?"

"Yeah. My mother." There was an awkward silence before Lana said, "Thanks, Chloe. You're incredible."

She left the Torch leaving the other two girls alone.

"I hate it when they're nice," Emmeline muttered. "It makes it that much harder to dislike them for stealing your guy."

Chloe laughed. "She has almost everything she could ever ask for. The football boyfriend, she's the most popular girl at Smallville High, and of course, she has Clark's affections. And she's still so nice and humble about it."

"I hate that."

"Has that happened to you before?"

"I used to have an old friend back in grade school. We weren't really close, but we were friends. We liked the same guy but she didn't know I liked him. She ended up dating him and after that, the friendship kinda just broke off."

"That's awful. Well, I promise that I will never do that to you. I will honor our deal."

"I will too."

After school, Emmeline was walking down the sidewalk when she heard, "Hey, Emmeline!"

Across the street, Pete and Clark were walking together as Pete waved to her. She crossed the street and joined them on the sidewalk. "Hey, guys."

"Clark was just telling me something…out of the ordinary." They began to continue walking down the street. "So you're telling me Tina Greer can bend her bones like a contortionist and become anybody she wants?"

"I saw it with my own eyes," Clark said.

"Another one?" Emmeline asked quietly.

Pete laughed. "I'm sorry, this is usually Chloe's territory. I cover girls, football, and general guy stuff. She does the tales of the unexplained. So why don't you give her a call?"

"I did. She said she was busy with something else," Clark answered.

"You realize that's like getting turned down by the National Enquirer."

"Tell me again why we're friends?"

"Because even when I think you're whacked, I show up ready to rumble." By now, they had arrived at the antique shop where Tina's mom worked. "Great, it's closed." Clark peered through the window which caused Pete to let out a big sigh. "Clark, man, haven't you ever watched _Cops_? The last place Tina's gonna be hiding out is in her mom's store." Clark kept staring into the store so once again, Pete waved his hand in front of his face. "Earth to Clark. Is everything okay?"

"We need to get in here," Clark said urgently.

"Why?"

"Just…it's a hunch."

They went around to the back of the store and got in that way. "Hey, Clark. What are we looking for?" Pete asked.

Clark opened the door to one of the closets in the store. What fell to the floor was a body. Emmeline gasped heavily.

"Whoa, who's that?" Pete asked.

"It's Tina's mom."

"How'd you know she was in there?"

"Because I can see right through the door, Pete."

"Very funny, Sherlock."

"Is it a thing for people who have weird abilities to kill their mother?" Emmeline asked as she stared at the body. All thoughts of being in Greg's house and seeing his dead mother followed by what happened afterward came rushing back to her at once.

"Hey, Emmeline, are you alright?" Pete asked taking her arm. "You're as white as a sheet."

"I…I can't breathe."

"Here, sit down." Pete helped her sit down and the two boys took her hands. She immediately started squeezing them upon contact which made Clark and Pete look over at each other worriedly.

"It's everything that happened with Greg," Clark whispered to Pete as he remembered her getting shaken up when he walked her home a few nights ago.

"Oh, man. Okay, Emmeline, we're gonna count, alright? Just count with us. One. Two. Three. Come on, you gotta count."

"Four," Emmeline began counting. "Five. Six."

"Good," Clark said. "Take a couple deep breaths. Picture yourself flying through the sky with nothing but the wind on your face and the air beneath you."

The three of them counted and took deep breaths together until Emmeline was finally calmed down.

"How do you think she died?" Pete asked looking back at Tina's mother.

"Broken neck," Clark answered without hesitation. When he noticed Clark and Emmeline giving him weird looks, he added, "I'm guessing."

"My call, Tina's already on a bus to Metropolis."

"I don't think so."

Clark looked at several pieces of paper with Lana's names written over and over again. "Why's she writing Lana's signature?"

"You said Tina was obsessed with her. She's gonna take it to the next level."

"She wants to kill Lana?"

"Worse. She wants to become Lana."

"Go! I'll stay here with Emmeline." He sat down next to her. "Feeling better?"

Emmeline turned a light shade of red. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize."

"I should be over that by now. It was a while ago. But now, I feel like I'm pushing it out of my mind constantly because every little thing triggers a memory."

"I'm sorry you're going through this. You don't deserve it. And all because some guy collected one too many bugs." Pete looked over at the lifeless body of Mrs. Greer and realized this was the worst place for them to be. "Come on," he said as he helped her stand up. "Let's get out of here."

The two of them left the shop and went to the Beanery to get her some tea. She took some slow sips and it helped her relax. After she was visibly better than before, Pete walked her home.

"Thanks, Pete," she said at the door. "For…everything."

"It's no trouble. I hope you feel better."

"You're a good friend."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Later that night, there was a knock on Emmeline's door. She went to answer it and saw that it was Clark. "Hey," she smiled. "Is Lana okay?"

"Yeah, she's alright. I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said.

"I'm fine. Pete got me a tea at the Beanery and that helped. I'm really sorry I freaked out like that."

"Considering the circumstances, it's understandable. There's no need to apologize."

"I know, that's what Pete said."

"Well, he's right. Emmeline, you keep thinking you need to be the perfect person. But no matter how much you want that, it's not going to happen. And that's okay because we all like you just the way you are."

Emmeline smiled. "Thanks, Clark."


	5. Cool

The last place Emmeline expected to be on a Friday night was at a party in the middle of the woods by Crater Lake. But that's exactly where Chloe dragged her and Clark.

"This is what I love about high school parties," Chloe said as they walked towards the gathering. "People will gather anywhere as long as there's illegally purchased alcohol and even the slightest chance of hooking up."

"If I recall correctly, you're the one who wanted to come to this party," Clark said.

"Yeah, but I didn't know it was going to be so cold. It's like twenty thousand degrees below zero out here."

"I don't know, it doesn't feel that cold to me."

"What, are you from an ice planet? It's freezing. I'm going to go thaw out by the fire. Have fun." She walked away from the two of them and sat down on one of the logs by the fire pit. Emmeline noticed Clark look over at Lana longingly as she snuggled up with Whitney. She let out a small sigh. Chloe was really an amazing person if she was able to put up with that for so long.

Some jock walked up to Clark and Emmeline. "Hey, Kent," he said, ignoring Emmeline. "You're friends with Chloe. Is she flying solo tonight?"

"Believe me, Sean, you're not her type."

"Well, you'd be surprised."

"I hate guys like that," Emmeline mumbled as he walked away. "They think that just because they're on the football team that they all girls must fawn over them all the time. And he just completely ignored me. It's like if you're not pretty enough, you're not worth their time."

"Emmeline, you are pretty. You don't need someone like Sean deciding that for you."

A blush rose to her cheeks, but luckily it was too dark for him to tell.

Sean sat next to Chloe at the fire and the two of them conversed for a little while before Chloe wrote something down on his hand and it didn't take much to guess what it was. Clark and Emmeline went over to her and sat down on either side of her.

"Did you just write your phone number down on Sean Kelvin's hand?" Clark asked a smiling Chloe.

"Don't sound so shocked, Clark. Guys do find me attractive even though I don't have raven hair and the initials L.L."

"Ouch," Emmeline said quietly.

"That's not what I meant," Clark defended. "The guy's a dog."

"Clark, relax. I just gave him my number to get rid of him. Get Pete. The taxi's leaving."

* * *

The usual four of them met up by Clark's house to get on the bus the next morning.

"So, did Sean call?" Clark asked Chloe.

"Negative," Chloe answered. "Not that I was waiting by the phone or anything."

"Maybe he got caught up," Pete offered. "One time, my sister didn't hear from a guy for a week. When she called to tell him off, it turned out his grandmother died."

"Ah, as much as I appreciate the spotlight here, I'm fine."

"You're probably better off," Clark said. "Sean's a total dog anyway."

"You really don't like him, do you?" Emmeline chuckled.

"He's not that bad, Clark," Pete said. "He's always been cool to me. Just because you can't get past your Lana crush, don't knock us for trying to make a love connection."

"I thought we were focusing on me here," Chloe said as she brought the conversation back to her.

"I don't have a crush on Lana," Clark said adamantly to which the other three scoffed loudly.

"Then why don't you ask some other girl out?" Pete asked.

"Like who?"

"Like Chloe or Emmeline?"

"Okay, wait!" Chloe demanded stepping in front of the boys. "We are not some crash test dummies you guys can use to try out your dating skills." She looked pointedly at Clark. "You, if you like Lana so much, why don't you just ask her out and get it over with?" Then she looked over at Pete. "And you, stop acting like a Vegas bookie picks your dates. And both of you, treat us better."

The four of them got on the bus and Chloe crashed down next to Emmeline. "You know," Emmeline said to her, "I really admire how you support Clark wanting to get together with Lana even though…you know."

"I don't support it. I just don't want him to know that I like him."

Later that day after free period, the four of them met up in front of the school where Clark was all smiles.

"Wait, let me get this straight. You walked in to get a cappuccino and walked out with a date with Lana Lang?" Chloe asked.

"It's not actually a date," Clark said.

"Even with the 'just as friends' rider, I'm impressed."

Emmeline was surprised just how well Chloe was able to hide her jealousy for Lana. At least she wasn't as bad as Tina…

No one could be as bad as Tina.

"How did you score the tickets?" Pete asked.

"I'm guessing a certain follically challenged individual was behind it," Chloe laughed.

"Lex hooked me up," Clark explained. "Actually, Chloe, I have you to thank."

"What did I do?"

"You were right. I just had to get it out there."

"Well, good. I'm glad."

They all looked towards the school entrance and saw Sean walking out. He started walking towards none other than Chloe.

"Maybe this is your chance," Pete smiled.

Chloe's eyes perked up as Sean came up to her. "Chloe, don't I owe you a phone call?" Sean asked her.

"I guess so," Chloe smiled.

"Well, what are you doing now?"

"Well, I've got to put the paper to bed. Maybe afterwards we could, you know, do something?"

Sean looked around and spotted his old girlfriend. "Jenna! Jenna, wait up!" He ran after her leaving Chloe alone.

She looked after him sadly. "Okay, I was playing barely-hard-to-get. What's the problem?" She scoffed lightly. "Clark Kent gets a date with Lana Lang, and suddenly there's no luck left for the rest of us."

"You deserve better than him anyway," Emmeline said to her. "Clark's right. He's just a player."

When Emmeline found Chloe in the Torch office later, she was practically punching the keys on her keyboard. "Hey."

"Hey," Chloe responded shortly.

"I'm really sorry about Sean."

"No, you guys are right. I don't need him. I don't need a guy to make me happy."

"You're certainly right about that."

"By the way, how are you? Pete told me you had a panic attack a few days ago and I never got around to asking you about it."

Emmeline sighed. "Remember all that stuff that happened with Greg? I just…still haven't really gotten over it. It's better now, but…"

"I don't blame you. He put you through a traumatizing situation and it's only natural you feel that way."

"I can tell you that I've sworn off guys for a really long time."

"Even Clark?"

"Even Clark."

"Oh, hey, I'm going to be working here late tonight and I could really use some help if you're up for it."

"Why not? It's not like I have any plans."

"Great! I'll see you tonight then. I'm heading over to Clark's to help him get ready for his non-date with Lana."

"You're really handling this maturely."

"Thanks."

That night, Chloe came bounding into the Torch office where Emmeline sat at her desk proofreading. "Guess what?" she said excitedly.

"What?" Emmeline asked.

"Sean called earlier and said he wanted to talk so I told him I'd let him bring me a coffee here."

Emmeline eyed her with a smile. "What happened to not needing a guy to make you happy?"

"Oh, come on. Just let me test out the waters and see where we get."

"Fine. I do want you to be happy."

The two of them began working and Chloe kept checking her watch every two minutes. She let out a sigh when it must've been past their agreed time. Suddenly, there was a small noise outside. The two girls stood up and went out into the hall.

"Sean? Hello? Is that you?" Chloe called.

When they looked down, yellow rose petals formed a path along the hall. Emmeline laughed lightly. "I think that's your cue. Go on. I'll keep working here."

"Thanks, Em. Uh, is it okay if I call you Em?"

Emmeline ran that through her head and smiled. "Yeah, I kinda like it. Now just go."

Chloe smiled and followed the path of petals. Emmeline went back inside the office and continued working on the issue.

Less than ten minutes after Chloe left, Clark ran into the office looking panicked. "Where's Chloe?" he demanded.

"With Sean, I think," Emmeline responded quickly. "Just follow the rose petals. Why?"

"Stay here."

He ran off as Emmeline stared after him. "Clark?" she called in confusion.

Within minutes, Chloe limped into the Torch office dripping wet with Clark tailing behind her.

"What happened?" Emmeline asked as she bolted up from her chair.

"A certain football playboy just tried to suck out my body heat," Chloe said near tears.

Clark took his jacket off and Emmeline wrapped it around her shoulders while he made Chloe a cup of coffee.

"Did I thank you for that rescue yet?" Chloe asked Clark.

"I heard about Jenna on the news and I didn't want you to be next," Clark told her.

"Well, I finally find a guy I like and he turns out to be homicidal."

"Hey, I found a guy I sort of liked and he ended up being a bugboy who kidnapped me in order to mate with me," Emmeline said.

"We don't have very good luck with guys, do we?"

"You deserved a lot better than Sean and Greg even before he tried to kill you and…mate with you," Clark said.

"That's sweet. I think," Chloe said.

"Any idea what happened to him?"

"The only similar thing I can find is a medical condition where there's damage to the thermo sensitive cells in the brain. The person literally can't stay warm. It's like a permanent case of hypothermia."

"So Sean's getting his heat where he can take it."

"Yeah, preferably from high school girls. But you saw the pool. You take the heat out of water, you get ice. He's like a battery that can't hold its charge. I think we should call for help."

"I'll take care of that. We need to get you both home. Come on."

The three of them started walking towards the door when Chloe stopped him. "You have to believe me when I say that almost getting my heat sucked was not a passive-aggressive attempt to ruin your date."

Clark's face quickly turned worrisome. "Lana."

"I'll take Chloe home," Emmeline said. "You go catch up with her."

"Thanks." He took off out of the office to go wherever he had left her.

"Looks like I'm not the only one handling it maturely," Chloe laughed. "At least now you have a friend who can share in your struggles of boy problems."

"I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

The two girls laughed and returned home to forget about the crazy guys that inhabited Smallville.

* * *

The next morning at school, Emmeline found Chloe looking at the shrine the school had set up for Jenna. She gently put her hand on Chloe's back for small comfort. Not long after, Clark and Pete joined them.

"You okay?" Clark asked her.

"Yeah," Chloe responded fighting back tears. "The memorial service is tomorrow. I was just thinking how that could have been me. All because some guy expressed some modicum of interest in me. I thought I was stronger than that."

They all started walking down the hallway away from the shrine.

"Everybody's searching for the soul mate, Chloe," Clark assured her. "It's not a sign of weakness."

"I can't believe both your dates couldn't have been worse and I ended up with the limo," Pete laughed.

"How was that?" Clark asked.

"It was sweet. I've already hooked up with another date for next weekend."

"I'm swearing off men," Chloe stated.

"You too?" Emmeline joked.

"We're not all bad," Clark insisted.

"Maybe you should just swear off heat-seeking dogs and mating bug freaks," Pete laughed again. His expression turned dark when he looked at Emmeline as he realized the memory was still painful for her and he didn't want her having another panic attack. She just smiled at him, letting him know it was okay.

"The next time a guy asks me out, I'm definitely doing an in-depth background check," Chloe said.

"Can you do one for me too?" Emmeline said.

At that moment, they spotted Lana at her locker. "Come on, Pete. Clark will catch up with us later," Chloe said.

As Emmeline, Pete, and Chloe walked away, Emmeline knew that now, she also had someone who understood her position with Greg and could help her get through it more than anyone else could. And that was what she really needed.


	6. Hourglass

As Chloe, Clark, Emmeline, and Lana all headed to the Beanery, Lana was lamenting at her latest blunder that happened at the senior center.

"It's not your fault, Lana," Clark tried to reassure her.

"Do you know anyone else who's lost an entire old person in a wheelchair?" Lana asked dejectedly.

"Nope, that's pretty impressive, even by Smallville standards," Chloe said as they all sat down at a table.

"Maybe he was kidnapped," Clark offered.

"Who'd want to kidnap Harry?" Lana said as if the idea was impossible. "He's just a harmless old man."

"Maybe a koi turned into a piranha and ate him," Chloe joked. Clark and Emmeline smiled and shook their heads. "You asked for my help. I'm just thinking out of the box."

"I like your theory," the guy at the table behind them interjected.

"You know, you might want to work on your eavesdropping technique," Chloe told him.

"Sorry. I'm, uh, I'm new in town. I just heard this is where young people congregate."

Congregate? Who in high school said congregate? As Emmeline looked at him, she could sort of tell that his eyes were showing that…he was hiding something.

"Yeah, we 'congregate' here often," Chloe said sarcastically.

Clark turned and offered his hand. "Hi, I'm Clark. This is Emmeline. The rude one's Chloe, and this is—"

"Lana Lang," the boy interrupted. "Name tag was a big clue. So, uh, good luck finding your missing old person."

He turned back around as the waitress came back with the boy's coffee. "Enjoy your coffee. They brought it in by burro this morning," she said with annoyance in her tone.

"Thanks honey," the boy answered. "You're a doll."

Lana looked at the boy strangely when she heard him say those words.

"Lana?" Emmeline said. "Is everything okay?"

Lana looked up at her. "Uh, yeah. Everything's fine."

Emmeline wasn't convinced.

"Who did you say that woman's name was that you were visiting?" Emmeline asked Clark.

"Cassandra Carver," Clark answered. "She was really nice. Apparently, she can see the future."

"I'm guessing you don't exactly believe her."

"Eh, at this point, I'm a little iffy, but everyone seems to have their opinions set."

Emmeline nodded as she began thinking.

The next day after school, she headed over to the senior center and went to Cassandra Carver's room. She hesitated outside the door, unsure if she was making the right decision.

"Are you just gonna stand there wondering if I'm as scary as I seem?" the old woman called.

Emmeline cracked a small smile and entered the room. "Wow. That's impressive."

"Do I know you?"

"Um, I'm a friend of Clark Kent. He was telling me about you."

"I take it he told you I see the future and you want to see it for yourself, do you?"

" _Can_ you?"

Cassandra paused. "Your voice sounds pained, dear. Has something happened? Uh, if you don't mind my asking."

Emmeline smiled again. "It was a while ago."

"Well, are you going to leave me hanging?"

"I'm not so sure you're going to believe me."

"You'd be surprised what I believe nowadays."

"Um…a few weeks ago, there was this guy. He was sort of flirting with me, and if you can guess, I'm not exactly the boldest person around. I've been shy and quiet my entire life. Anyway, he seemed nice and he was pretty good-looking and the idea of having someone actually like me was appealing, so I helped him out with a paper and agreed to get dinner with him. Before that dinner happened, my friends discovered that due to certain circumstances, he had begun to take on the traits of every bug in Smallville. As a result, he went into the 'mating' phase and he chose me as his mate. He kidnapped me right out of my home and if it wasn't for Clark, I don't know what would've happened."

Emmeline hadn't realized how good that would feel to get off her chest.

"You've been through quite an ordeal, it sounds like."

"I've tried to get over it, but I've been getting shaken up at every little thing and I even ended up having a panic attack a few weeks after it happened."

"Well, the best thing you can do is confront it. The more you try to push the memory away, the harder it will be to not let it affect you anymore. I know it may be the last thing you want to do, but it will help you."

"You think so?"

"I know so. If you let this event control your thoughts, eventually it will begin to control you. The sooner you defeat this struggle, the sooner you will be free from it."

"Thanks, Miss Carver. That's…really good advice."

"I'm glad I could be of service in that way. Now, shall I prove to you what you came here for?"

"No, thanks," Emmeline smiled. "I prefer to be surprised."

"What did you say your name was?"

"Emmeline."

"Emmeline, I can't tell you how refreshing it is to be able to give someone advice that doesn't involve me predicting their future."

"Thanks for your help, ma'am."

"You are most welcome. I hope everything works out for you."

That night, Emmeline met up with Pete and Chloe and they all went to Clark's barn after he never showed at the Torch.

"Clark, we got your message," Chloe said as they went up to the loft.

"Hey, where were you?" Pete asked. "What happened? I thought we were all supposed to meet at the Torch."

"Sorry," Clark apologized. "I didn't mean to blow you guys off."

"Will the lovely Miss Lang be joining us?" Chloe asked.

"No, I think she had enough weirdness for one day. What've you got?"

Pete took a newspaper out from under his arm. "Guy was found dead in his house. He was blindfolded and strangled with a piano wire."

"Which is the same signature Harry Volk used in 1945," Chloe explained.

"Sounds like a copy-cat," Clark said as he looked at the newspaper article.

"A copy-cat of a murder that happened 60 years ago, two days after the original killer happened to disappear? I don't think so."

"Harry's in a wheelchair, Chloe. Not exactly in prime condition to go on a crime spree."

"Well, I found this picture of Harry from the 40's." Chloe handed Clark a piece of paper with a picture of a young Harry.

"It looks like the kid we saw in The Beanery."

"Maybe he's got a grandson or something," Pete suggested.

"Or…maybe it's Harry," Chloe said.

"I don't think we should start looking for time machines just yet," Clark told her.

"Okay, fine. Where do you think we should start?"

"If someone is following in Harry's footsteps, maybe they sent him some fan mail."

The four of them headed over to the senior center to check Harry's room. When they got there, Chloe asked nervously, "What happens if someone sees us searching Harry's room?"

"How about we don't get seen?" Clark said.

Ironically, Cassandra called, "Clark, is that you?"

Clark looked at his friends. "Harry's room is down the hallway. I'll meet you there."

"Hello, Miss Emmeline!" Cassandra called.

"Hi, Miss Carver!" Emmeline called back.

"You know her?" Pete asked.

"I met her earlier today."

They went to Harry's room and Pete and Chloe went through his things while Emmeline stayed by the door to keep watch in case anyone noticed their prying eyes.

"You guys have any luck?" Clark said as he came into the room.

"No fan mail," Chloe answered. "Just a bunch of old news clippings from The Smallville Ledger. Obituaries, articles."

"The guy's been obsessed with Smallville for 50 years," Pete told them all.

Clark looked intently at a picture of a waitress from the Beanery, the sarcastic one who served an allegedly young Harry.

"Clark, is something wrong?" Chloe asked.

"It's her," Clark said quietly.

"It's who?"

"I gotta go."

Clark bolted out of the room leaving the three remaining teenagers wondering what he was talking about. But what else was new?

Emmeline soon learned that Harry had tried to kill Zoe, the girl from the newspaper, and that Harry was taken into custody. Unfortunately, whatever had made him young wore off while he was chained up to the hospital bed so he was released.

The four of them all went to the Torch office to do some more research on this guy.

"This is everything I could find on Harry Volk," Chloe said as she gathered up all her documents. "The Ledger carried stories on the trial, the murder, the investigation, you name it."

"Is anybody watching this guy?" Pete asked.

"Lana's got an eye on him," Clark answered.

Emmeline, Chloe, and Pete all exchanged a glance since the last time Lana was looking after him, this whole mess got started.

"I heard that," Clark said.

"Didn't say anything," Emmeline responded.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Pete asked.

"I don't know," Clark said. "There's gotta be a connection between the people Harry's going after."

"In Zoe Garfield's statement to the police, she said that Harry accused her grandmother of killing his future," Chloe explained.

Lana quickly entered the Torch office. "Harry's gone," she said urgently. "They found his wheelchair out by the koi pond half an hour ago."

"I saw meteor rocks in that pond," Clark stated.

"At least now we know how he's doing the time warp," Chloe said.

"What do you mean?" Lana asked.

"I'll explain later," Clark told her. "We gotta figure out who he's gonna kill next."

Chloe handed Clark an old newspaper. "Clark, take a look at this."

"What is it?"

"It's a list of the jurors that worked on Harry's trial."

"Rudolph Gage, Eve Garfield…He's killing the descendants of the jurors that convicted him."

"Talk about not letting it go," Pete remarked.

Clark's face turned even more concerned as he continued down the list.

"Clark, what is it?" Lana asked.

"Look at juror number eleven," Clark said as he handed the newspaper to Lana.

"Hiram Kent. Wasn't that your grandfather?"

"Harry's gonna kill my dad."

As Clark ran out to get to his house, Emmeline looked after him. "Alright," she said. "So far, me, Chloe, Lana, and now Clark have been affected by one of these guys who have strange abilities. Pete, I guess it's your turn next."

"I'll have to pass on that one."

"You may not have a choice."

The next day after it was released that Harry had died after an unsuccessful attempt to kill Martha Kent, Emmeline caught Pete and Clark in the hallway.

"Hey, guys. Clark, how's your mom?" she asked.

"She's fine. Just a bit shaken up."

"I understand. Do you guys think you can…do something for me?"

"What is it?"

"Meet me after school. I'll tell you then."

Right after school, Pete and Clark both followed Emmeline and they all found themselves at Greg's old house. No one had bought it for obvious reasons, and currently it was just sitting there collecting dust.

"Why are we here?" Clark asked Emmeline.

"I talked to Cassandra and she told me that I need to confront this. So I am, but I didn't want to do it alone. Is it okay if you guys…help me with this?"

"Of course," Pete answered.

They all went to the woods and found Greg's old tree house where he had brought Emmeline after he kidnapped her. Emmeline's heart began pounding when the tree house came into view as the memories all came back to her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Clark asked, noticing that she was getting a little perturbed.

"Yes," Emmeline said. "I have to."

She climbed up into the tree house and the others followed her. She took some deep breaths as she looked around the wooden place. This was where Clark had found her. This was where Greg was going to mate with her.

The two boys grabbed each of her hands. "Are you alright?" Pete asked.

"You know what?" Emmeline said as a small smile stretched across her face. "I'm feeling a whole lot better."


	7. Craving

**To answer your question, noellesullivan, while I can't put an exact face to the character, I can describe Emmeline. She has a very petite figure and is average height, about as tall as Lana and Chloe. She has long, straight, medium-brown hair that is parted to the left and runs a bit past the middle of her back.**

* * *

Emmeline had never met Jodi Melville, but that all changed when Pete and Chloe needed some help with algebra since Clark's mind was, no surprise, focused on Lana as her birthday was coming up.

The three of them found Jodi sitting in the library cutting up pictures and putting them in her notebook.

"Cutting the heads off supermodels," Chloe said as she leaned onto the desk. "It's kind of redundant, isn't it?"

Jodi smiled nervously and shut the notebook. "Just looking for outfit ideas. I still don't have anything to wear to Lana's party. What's up?" She looked over and saw Emmeline. "Hey, you're Emmeline, right?"

"Yeah, that's me. And you must be Jodi. It's nice to meet you," Emmeline said shyly.

"Uh, Pete and I were kind of hoping you could give us a quick algebra download," Chloe told Jody.

"I thought Clark usually helps you guys," Jodi said.

"He's a little preoccupied helping the birthday girl," Pete smiled.

"We'll even buy you lunch," Chloe said, hoping to convince her.

Jody looked at them and led them to her locker. She pulled out a thermos and poured out some thick dark green liquid. Emmeline could feel her breakfast rising up in her throat as she watched it flow from one holder to the other.

"That looks…appetizing," Pete grimaced.

"Losing weight is never pretty," Jodi said to him.

A boy Emmeline had seen around school came over to them. "Hey, Ross," he said to Pete. "We're getting a little game together. You want in, or you want to keep whale watching?"

Emmeline frowned at the boy as he and the other guy he was with started laughing together. Jodi looked over at the group in embarrassment.

"Dustin, back off," Pete said angrily.

"Ooh, chill out, cool guy. I didn't know you were a chubby-chaser."

Dustin threw the basketball at them and it hit Jodi's cup, spilling the drink all over her. The guys began laughing again and Jodi ran off in shame.

"Jodi, wait!" Pete called.

"Oh, man," Dustin said. "You'd think someone that big would have a thicker skin."

Pete threw the basketball at Dustin and hit him hard in the head.

"You'd think someone that stupid would have a thicker head," Chloe said to him sharply.

Emmeline wished she was bold enough to say things like that to people. Just once, she'd love to get in someone's face and tell them off for being a jerk. Maybe someday.

The next day, the usual group of four walked across school grounds as Clark told them about Whitney not being able to take Lana to her birthday party.

"Clark, I'm telling you. This is good news for you," Pete smiled.

"Kansas State gives Whitney a full scholarship and Lana gives him a tongue bath," Clark said sarcastically. "How is that good news?"

"Even I'm having a hard time following the skewed Ross logic," Chloe said.

"Lana's gonna be dateless for her own party," Pete explained.

"Hi, Pete," they heard as they passed the picnic tables. They all turned around to find Jodi standing up from the table. She looked…a lot different than the last time Emmeline had seen her.

"Jodi?" Pete said shocked. "You look…"

"Thinner?" she finished for him.

"I was still looking for a euphemism, but yeah," Chloe said as she walked over to them.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked.

"Never better," Jodi answered. "My diet's just starting to pay off. I bought some new clothes."

"You look great," Pete said with a broad smile.

"Thank you for sticking up for me yesterday. Most people wouldn't have done that."

"Most people can't stand Dustin."

"Yeah. Listen, I was wondering…do you have a date for Lana's party?"

Pete just stared at her still in shock. Clark poked him in the back to get him to do something. "No, he's still free," he answered for him.

"Would you like to go with me?"

Pete still just stood there smiling wider than ever. Clark poked him again harder and answered, "He'd love to."

"Great. Okay, well, I'll see you later."

"Bye," Pete said breathlessly as Jodi walked away. Emmeline resisted the urge to burst out laughing at how speechless he was.

"I don't get it," Chloe said as she stared after Jodi.

"Women dig me," Pete said as he glared at Chloe. "Get used to it."

"No, I mean Jodi. It's like she lost that weight overnight."

"If she could, half the school would be after that secret," Clark grinned. "Come on."

"So, are you going to Lana's party?" Pete asked Emmeline as they walked to the Torch office.

"That's not really my thing," she answered. "Besides, I don't even have a date."

"But it would be better than sitting at home alone, wouldn't it?"

"Honestly? I'd rather lock myself in my room with my fantasy novels."

"You have got to branch out."

"I'll branch out when I'm ready."

"Well, that better be sooner rather than later."

Later that night, Chloe called up Emmeline and asked her to meet her at Clark's place the next morning because she had heard about an accident that was Wall of Weird material and wanted to bring her and Clark with her to check it out.

So sure enough, Emmeline found herself walking up to the loft with Chloe. They saw Clark peering through his telescope, which seemed odd to Emmeline since it was daytime.

"Getting your morning Lana fix?" Chloe asked, making Clark nearly jump three feet in the air. Oh, so THAT was why he was looking through the telescope.

"Chloe, don't either of you ever knock?"

"It's a barn, Clark."

"Is there a reason you're both here so early or do just enjoy busting my chops?"

"A little of both. Did you hear about the accident last night? A deer was hit out on Route 5."

"That's not exactly Wall of Weird material."

"Check out the paper." She handed him a copy of the newspaper. "Animal control said that the deer died of causes unknown."

"So?"

Chloe scoffed. "Well, not much unknown about a bumper at 60 miles an hour."

"I'd love to run down theories with you, but I've got chores to do. I still haven't figured out what to get Lana for her birthday."

"Well, you or your family knows people at animal control, right?"

"One of the perks of growing up on a farm."

"Well, I was thinking, maybe we could stop by there before school. You could use your pull. We could take a couple of pictures. We'll help you out with your gift-giving dilemma."

"Okay. But I want it to be something unique."

"Just don't make it as unique as what you gave me last year."

"And you're really okay with this?" Clark asked Emmeline."

"I'm just coming along for the ride," she answered.

The three of them went to Animal Control and Clark nearly cracked under the pressure of trying to get behind the desk.

"Very impressive use of pull," Chloe said sarcastically as they walked down the halls. "'Can I use your bathroom'?"

"I can't believe we're creeping around looking for road kill."

They passed by a window where antlers were sticking out of a sheet. "The deer's in there." She tried to the door, but it wouldn't budge. "The door's locked. Um, Em and I are gonna go find a maintenance worker."

"We're calling you 'Em' now?" Clark asked.

"It has a nice ring to it," Emmeline smiled.

She and Chloe walked away when Clark called, "Guys, it's open."

"How'd you do that?" Chloe asked as she came back around the corner.

"Kent charm."

They walked into the room and Chloe prepped her camera to take pictures of the dead deer while Emmeline closed the blinds.

"Lift it up. Go," Chloe said, elbowing Clark.

Clark sighed and lifted up the sheet and they all grimaced at the sight before them. "Looks like jerky," Clark remarked.

Chloe looked around and picked up a clipboard with several pieces of paper on it. "The lab report says the deer lost something like 80% of its body fat. It's like it's been lipo-suctioned to death."

"What do you think it is, Chloe? Some fat-sucking vampire in town?"

"This is Smallville, Clark. Land of the weird, home of the strange."

Chloe continued taking pictures of the drained deer. "Okay," Emmeline said. "Let's get out of here before I lose my breakfast."

"I second that," Clark said.

"You guys are wimps," Chloe frowned.

During free period, Chloe caught up with Emmeline as they headed to the Torch office. "Hey, Pete told me you're skipping Lana's party."

"I don't even know her very well, so why should I go anyway?"

"Because it's Lana Lang's party?"

"It's not my scene. I'm just going to stay home and read a good book."

"Suit yourself!"

They both walked into the room and stopped talking when they saw who Clark was conversing with.

"Mr. Luthor," Chloe said surprised.

"It's Lex," the man said with a smile that would make most women go weak at the knees. "Let's see, you're Chloe, so you must be Emmeline." He shook her and Emmeline's hands. "Clark was just telling me your meteor theory. I like it. Especially since most people think my company is secretly behind everything that goes wrong in Smallville."

"That's the reigning theory."

"Are you the only on that blames the meteors instead of me?"

"Pretty much. Well, there is Mr. Hamilton."

"Except most people don't have too high a regard for a guy who sells plastic meteor chips to tourists," Clark said.

"Doesn't exactly inspire confidence," Lex said smoothly. He looked over at Chloe. "Call me when you're looking for a summer job. I've got friends over at _The Inquistor_." Then he looked over at Clark. "I'll see you tomorrow. I hear you're escorting the birthday girl. Nice work."

"We're just going as friends," Clark said defensively.

"Sure you are. Hope you got her a nice gift."

"Yeah…"

"So that's Lex Luthor?" Emmeline said. "He's a lot different than I pictured him. He's not so…scary."

Clark and Chloe laughed. "To you, everyone's scary at first," Chloe said.

"I'd argue against that, except I know it's true."

* * *

When Clark told his friends what happened to Dustin, no one wanted to believe it was true.

Chloe, of course, wasted no time in getting all the facts. "I called the hospital this morning," Chloe said to Clark and Emmeline as they tried to find a table to eat their lunch. "Dustin's in a coma. His body went into shock from the loss of fat. He hasn't told the police anything."

"Time to revisit the fat-sucking vampire theory," Clark said.

"You know, if you hadn't been there, he probably would have died, Clark."

"Clark Kent saves the day again," Emmeline half-smiled.

"What I can't figure out is why anybody would want to steal body fat," Clark said.

"I know," Chloe agreed. "It takes eating disorders to a whole new level."

The three of them saw Jodi sitting alone and sat down to join her. "Jodi."

"Hi, guys, what's up?" Jodi said happily.

"Uh, study group, remember?" Chloe told her.

"Totally slipped my mind."

They all looked at Jodi as she dug into her food ravenously. "So, no more veggie shakes, huh?"

"Are you feeling okay?" Clark asked. "Pete said you felt sick yesterday."

"Oh, that. I'm fully recovered."

"I guess it's safe to say that the diet's finally over," Chloe remarked.

"Mmm, I'm starving. I haven't eaten anything all day." She looked up to find all three of them staring at her. "I'm just a little nervous about the party tonight."

"Yeah," Chloe said softly.

"So, um, I'll see you guys tonight." Jodi grabbed several snacks from her tray and bolted off.

"Okay, what was that about?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know," Clark answered. He looked at his watch. "I gotta fly. We'll talk about this later?"

"Okay. Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm still working on Lana's birthday gift."

"Any hints?"

"Yeah, it's not a gift certificate."

Emmeline rolled her eyes. "How are either of us supposed to have a shot with him if he's going to seek out every spare moment of the day to squeeze in 'Lana time'?"

"Story of my life. Are you sure you're not going to the party tonight?"

"I'm sure."

"Alright. Your choice."

That night, Emmeline dressed down in a loose shirt and sweatpants and pulled out her book with a bag of chocolate next to her. As she sat in her room thinking about what was happening at Lana's party, there was a knock on her door. "Emmeline?" her mother said as she came into the room. "You have a visitor."

Chloe came into her room behind her. "Hey, Em."

"Chloe, what are you doing here?"

"I was not about to let you spend tonight alone. So get dressed. We're going out to grab a coffee and maybe catch a movie."

Emmeline smiled. "Really?"

"That's what friends are for."

"Oh, did you ever find out was going on with Jodi?"

"Oh gosh, she was eating vegetables grown around meteor fragments which made her lose weight way too fast so she couldn't keep up just by eating regular food. She sucked the fat out of the deer and Dustin. Clark went after her because we were both worried about Pete."

"Is he alright?"

"As far as I know."

"I told him he was going to be next."

Chloe laughed lightly. "Come on, Em." She laced her arm around Emmeline's. "You're not going to spend so much time alone anymore."


	8. Jitters

As the four of them walked to the bus, Clark told them that his parents were going to Metropolis for their anniversary, leaving him alone in the house for a couple days.

"What are you gonna do now that you're officially home alone?" Pete asked.

"I was thinking of having a few people over," Clark answered.

Chloe smirked. "Do my ears deceive me or is Clark Kent actually suggesting a party?"

"A small gathering. You guys, a few other people, maybe even Lana."

"With or without her possible action-figure boyfriend?"

As Clark got on the bus, he turned to them. "8:00. And remember, the key word is small."

"Small," Chloe smiled.

That night, Chloe went to Emmeline's house so they could head over to Clark's together. As they pulled up, Emmeline's mouth dropped open at the sight of what must've been hundreds of people. Suddenly, this was the last place she wanted to be.

They two of them got out, and Emmeline had never felt so small. Chloe must've sensed her unease because she took Emmeline's hand in hers. Together, they both looked around for Clark and found him buried in his house.

"So, this is what you call a small gathering, right?" Chloe shouted to him in an attempt to be heard over the loud music.

"Do you even recognize half these people?" He looked over at someone. "Hey, watch the glass—" There was the sound of glass shattering and Clark sighed heavily.

Emmeline went over to the window to get away from everyone and she saw Clark sitting down in front of it. "Hey," she said, even though she knew she couldn't be heard.

"This is a disaster," he said to her.

Suddenly, a boy crashed next to both of them looking pale and sweaty. "Guys, I think I'm gonna hurl."

Emmeline bolted up and left Clark to deal with Mr. Vomit. She hated puke more than anything and was not about to witness it. Instead, she went outside for some breathing room. She crossed her arms over her chest and blew a puff of air through her cheeks.

Not too much later, fireworks started to go off. Wasn't that illegal?

"Clark, man, how cool is this?" Pete said as the usual three joined Emmeline outside.

"Pete, why didn't you just call the cops? It would have been a lot easier!" Clark yelled.

"Hey, I can't claim credit. It wasn't my idea."

"It was mine," Lex Luthor's voice called out from behind them. "Call it a party gift. I hope you like it."

"It's great," Clark stuttered. "Just…"

"Don't worry about the police. It's covered. I know this kind of party can make or break a reputation and I wanted to make sure yours was a hit. I hear you're taking a tour of my plant tomorrow."

"It's a class field trip," Chloe said.

"What'd you do wrong?"

Emmeline allowed herself to smile a little.

"It's that bad, huh?" Clark asked.

Some Asian woman came out and seductively took Lex's arm, making Emmeline quite uncomfortable. "Sorry I took so long," she said in a very obvious flirty tone. "Someone overflowed the bathroom."

"I'm officially dead," Clark muttered.

"Clark," Emmeline said quietly. "I'm sorry, I can't be here." She took off and decided to just walk home.

"Emmeline!" Clark called. "Em!"

"What's wrong with her?" Lex asked.

"She's quiet and really, really shy. I'm sure all of this is basically her worst nightmare."

"If I had known, I never would've brought her," Chloe insisted.

"It's alright, Chloe."

The remaining people watched their friend walk down the drive at quite a fast pace.

* * *

On Monday morning, Emmeline was walking to class when Clark caught up with her. "Hey, Em! Listen, I am really sorry about last weekend. I had no idea it was going to get so out of hand."

"It's okay, Clark. I'm sorry for bolting out like that."

"I understand why. If I could've, I would've bolted too."

Emmeline smiled a little and they both walked to class together. Then the rest of her class boarded the bus that would take them to LuthorCorp. Chloe ended up sitting next to her.

"Anything interesting happen after I left?" Emmeline asked Chloe.

"Actually, yeah. We found this weird guy hiding up in Clark's loft. He started shaking at an extremely fast rate that was really intense to see. We took him to the hospital and we found out that he was actually wanted for murder."

"Murder?"

"Yeah. I mean, Clark seems to know him really well, but…"

"I'm kind of glad I wasn't there for that."

They arrived at the plant and when they went inside, they were met by one of the workers to begin the tour.

"Hello, everybody. I'm Gabe Sullivan, plant manager and proud father. Hi, sweetheart," the man said looking over at Chloe.

"Hi, Dad," Chloe said sheepishly as she discreetly hid behind Clark. Emmeline couldn't help but smile at her obvious discomfort.

"Welcome to LuthorCorp, where we give a crap."

"Okay, somebody kill me now," Chloe muttered.

"A little fertilizer humor there. All right, before we go inside, I need you to remove all your cell phones, pagers, jewelry. Anything that jangles, dangles, or rings needs to go in these plastic trays right here. All right, any other questions?" Clark raised his hand. "Yes?"

"I heard there was a third level to the plant. Is that true?" Clark asked.

Gabe hesitated, then smiled. "Yeah, yeah. That's where we do the alien autopsies. I think we better get started."

"Don't encourage him," Chloe sighed.

"Come on, Chloe," Emmeline said. "If I can stay at that party for longer than five seconds, you can handle this."

"This way, everybody. All right, people. Let's stay together," Gabe announced. He led them all throughout the plant and pointed at some tanks. "Watch out for these babies. 262 degrees. They get hot." They walked into another room with boards, screens, and other workers. "This is it. The plant's mission control. 100,000 tons of animal waste to process here every year. Trust me, the results can be pretty explosive. So if any of you had beans for lunch, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The students laughed, but Chloe groaned. "Among his peers, he's considered witty."

"Mm-hmm," Pete smiled. "Where's Clark?"

Before either girl could respond, the door in front of them began rattling and jangling fiercely.

"What the heck?" Gabe muttered. "Excuse me."

He walked over to the door, but before he could open it, some African-American man stepped out with a gun in tow. He grabbed Gabe and aimed the gun at his head. "Don't move!" he ordered. "Take me to Level 3."

"Dad," Chloe whispered.

"Now!" the man ordered.

Alarms started blaring and the man aimed his gun at everyone. All the students sat in a line with Emmeline clutching onto Chloe's hand as tight as she could. People feared for their life way too often in Smallville. Who knew a simple class field trip would turn into a hostage situation? Emmeline was considering never leaving the house again. At least she would be safe from bug men, crazed murderers, and hostage takers. Maybe she could convince her mom to homeschool her…

The man asked Gabe over and over again where Level 3 was, but Gabe kept telling him he didn't know. If something didn't happen soon, someone was going to get shot, and she didn't want to play the guessing game of who it would be.

"I swear, I don't know anything about Level 3," Gabe insisted.

"You're lying!" the man shouted.

"He's not lying!" Clark said as he came into to the room with some rolled up paper. "I found these blueprints. There is no Level 3."

Where on earth had he gone? And where had he found those diagrams?

The man opened the blueprints and got even angrier. "Every night, I go down to Level 2, I follow the red pipes down that long hallway, I go to the door, I open it, and I take the elevator down to Level 3!" He went over to Clark. "You're just like everybody else. Now you get over there and you sit down!"

Clark went over and took a seat next to Lana. When he looked over at Emmeline and Chloe, they looked about ready to burst into tears. Pete put his arm around Emmeline, fully aware that this was not the best situation for her. Emmeline squeezed Chloe's hand even tighter and began trembling a little.

The phone rang and Gabe picked it up. "Lionel Luthor."

"Speaker," the man said. Gabe put the phone on speaker and put it back on the receiver. "Mr. Luthor, I've finally got your attention, haven't I?"

"Earl, why don't you come out?" Lionel's voice said on the other end. "We've got a lot to talk about."

"Just tell me what you were using down on Level 3."

"You're sick, Earl. Let everyone go. We'll get you help."

Earl began convulsing again and when Clark stood to help him, he got whacked onto the ground. Everyone went over to him to make sure he was all right.

"Clark, are you okay?" Emmeline asked.

"I'm fine," he said weakly.

Earl went over to the camera. "See what you made me do? Your methane gas-valve just broke. The whole place is gonna go up."

Emmeline put her hand over her eyes and tried her hardest to pull it together. She didn't want to be the weak one in this situation, but that's what it looked like. She felt Pete's arm go around her again and she forced herself to stop acting like a little girl.

"We need to do something," Whitney said.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Clark told him.

"The man's nuts. He's not listening to the cops and that methane gas is gonna blow."

"He's sick, but he's still strong."

"Whitney, I don't want you to get hurt," Lana said.

"I'm not putting my life in that man's hands," Whitney said firmly. "Two of us can take him. How about it, Clark?"

"I can't," Clark answered.

Whitney looked at him in disbelief. "It's okay," Lana said. Whitney stood up angrily. "Whitney!"

"Luthor, I trusted you," Earl said to the camera. "You told me you were trying to help people." He turned around and saw Whitney coming for him. "Hey, what are you doing?!"

Whitney flung the gun to the ground, but Earl punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground as well.

"Get back!" Earl screamed as he retrieved his gun. He went back over to the camera. "It's all your fault, Luthor." Then he shot the camera, which made Emmeline jump from the loud noise.

They pulled Whitney back over to the group.

"I don't want to die," Emmeline said softly.

Clark looked her straight in the eyes. "You won't."

They waited a little longer before Lex walked into the room holding his hands up while wearing a bulletproof vest.

"What kind of man sends his own kid to do his dirty work?" Earl growled.

"I'm not doing anybody's dirty work, Earl," Lex answered. "This is my plant." He looked over at Lana who was holding Whitney. "How is he?"

"He needs a doctor," Lana answered.

Lex turned his focus back to Earl. "What are we gonna do about these kids, Earl?"

"I never meant to hurt anybody," Earl said remorsefully. "I tried talking to your father, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"I know the feeling." Lex took off the vest. "Earl, you say that everybody's been lying to you. I'm gonna tell you the truth. My father doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about anybody in this room. Because if we all die, his P.R. firm will spin it, his insurance company will pay out, and you, Earl, will go down as the bad guy."

"I'm not the bad guy. I'm just trying to get better."

"How are you gonna get better by killing a bunch of kids? If you let everybody go, I'll take you to Level 3."

Emmeline looked up at him. So far, there had been every reason to believe that Level 3 didn't exist. Was this man really not as crazy as he seemed?

Earl pointed his gun at Lex. "You stop lying."

"Let them go, and I'll show you where it is. Earl, trust me. I'm a man of my word."

Earl lowered his gun and looked at all the students. "Get out. Get out. Get out! Everybody, get out!"

Everyone scrambled to their feet and got out of the room as fast as they could. Pete was still holding onto Emmeline.

"Come on!" Pete said to Clark who was still in the room. "Come on, man, let's go!"

The three of them ran out of the room and started down the hallway.

"Come on, keep moving!" one member of the SWAT team ordered.

"This way, kids! This way!" another said.

When they made it outside, Clark suddenly turned back around and headed towards the closing door.

"Clark, come on, man, we gotta go!" Pete yelled.

"Don't worry about me!" Clark yelled back as he slid under the doors.

"Clark!" Emmeline and Pete screamed.

The two of them continued outside and met with Clark's parents. Emmeline realized it was nighttime outside. Had they really been trapped there that long?

"Pete! Emmeline!" Martha exclaimed as she hugged the both of them. "Where's Clark?"

"He's back inside, Mrs. Kent," Pete said apologetically. "I tried to stop him. I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry." Emmeline looked at Pete sadly. "Come on," he said to her. "Let's find our parents."

Emmeline looked around in the crowd until she saw her parents. "Mom!" she called. "Dad!"

"Emmeline!" her mother cried. Emmeline ran up to them and they all embraced together. "Are you alright?" her mother asked frantically. Emmeline nodded and they all hugged once more. "Come on. Let's get you home."

"Mom, can we wait for Clark to come out? Please?"

"Of course."

They sat around for what felt like hours until Emmeline saw Clark come running out of the building and hug his family.

"Clark!" she called as she ran over to him.

"Hey, Em!"

Emmeline hugged him tightly. When they released, she hit him on the chest. "What were you thinking?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Martha said. "But the important thing is that you're safe."

Emmeline smiled and walked back to her own parents. Her mother put her arm around her shoulder and they walked to the awaiting car. She looked back at Clark as he and his family laughed and hugged over and over again. She didn't know what it was about him, but he could always be counted on to save the day.


	9. Rogue

Emmeline and Chloe were in the Torch office finishing up the latest issue and were soon joined by Pete and Clark. Clark took a seat next to Chloe and looked at the computer.

"Another scathing editorial?" he asked referring to the article she had written about the strange things happen in Smallville.

"Is there any other kind?" Chloe smiled.

Emmeline looked up as Lana came into the room. "Clark, what happened to you last night?" she asked.

"Where did you go?" Emmeline said.

"Lex's Museum Gala in Metropolis. To answer your question Lana, I wasn't feeling well. I guess I'm not much of a city guy."

"You can take the boy off the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the boy," Chloe joked. She didn't look too happy about Lana's intrusion in the office.

Chloe got up to do some more work when Principal Kwan came into the room.

"Sullivan, is this your idea of a joke?" he asked angrily holding up the issue of the Torch where Chloe had written about the meteor rocks' effects on people. "Concerned parents have been calling all morning."

"Well, what have you been telling them?"

"What the EPA and other environmental groups said years ago: the meteor rocks are harmless."

"People have a right to know about the strange things that happen in this town!" Chloe defended.

"The Torch is a school paper. It's not your own personal tabloid."

"Are you censoring me?"

"I'm requiring you to do your job, which is report on relevant school events. Sports, dances, clubs. I'm relieving you of your duties. The Torch is suspended until I can appoint a new editor." Principal Kwan stormed out of the room leaving the others in a state of complete shock.

Chloe turned to her friends. "Okay, what just happened?" she asked looking like she was trying really hard to not have a meltdown.

"I think you were fired," Pete said sadly.

"Chloe, I'm sure there's something we can do," Clark told her as he stood up.

Lana went up to her. "Let me talk to Kwan."

"Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but what do you think you can do?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know, but let me give it a shot."

The next day, Emmeline came into the Torch office to find Clark at a computer. "Hey, Clark," she said.

He turned around and shut off whatever he was looking at. She was curious as to what he didn't want her to see, but she wasn't going to push it. "Hey."

"How are you doing?"

"It's just one of those weeks," he answered.

"I know how that is."

"How's Chloe been?"

"I spent the day with her yesterday and let her vent for hours. She's pretty upset about it, and I am too. She was just reporting the truth."

"You think the meteor rocks give people weird abilities?"

"From what I've seen lately, absolutely."

At that moment, Chloe walked into the room. "Hey, guys. What are you both doing here so early?"

"Just doing a little research," Clark answered.

"Have either of you heard anything about Lana's meeting with Kwan?"

"Chloe, I'm sure it'll work out."

"Hey," Lana smiled as she walked into the room.

"So how'd it go?" Clark asked her.

"Well, it's interesting."

"Bottom line it," Chloe said firmly. "When can we send out the next issue?"

"Day after tomorrow."

"Cool!"

"Except, um…Kwan made me the new editor."

The silence in the room was deafening. "Okay," Chloe stuttered. "Uh, rewind. I need you to say that last part again."

"After I made my case, Kwan said if I had that much passion, I should be in charge. And then he made Emmeline co-editor."

"What?" Emmeline exclaimed.

"I don't believe this!" Chloe yelled.

"Chloe, it's the only way he'd reopen the paper," Lana told her.

"So what, cheerleading's not enough? Maybe the editor of the school newspaper looks better on a college application." She looked at Emmeline. "Did you just pretend to be my friend and then take the job you wanted right out from under me?"

"That isn't it," Lana said, giving Emmeline no time to answer. "I just figured you could ghost-write until we got you reinstated."

"Okay, so then I would work for you?"

"The paper would still be yours."

"Wait, wait," Clark interjected. "Chloe, think about it. It's not a bad idea."

"It figures you'd side with her," Chloe said tearfully.

"I'm not taking anyone's side."

"Yeah right, Clark. You're completely objective in all things Lana."

There was a very awkward pause before Clark said quickly, "Gotta go."

"No, please, Clark, stay! Take my desk!"

"Chloe, this isn't what you think," Lana tried to explain.

"You know what the weirdest part is? For a millisecond, I almost thought you were my friend. And that I had finally found someone who understood me."

"Chloe," Emmeline said quietly. "Believe me, I don't want this job."

"Yeah, right, Emmeline. You pulled the little façade that you didn't want to be in the front lines when you really did all along."

"Chloe…you're the first person to ever treat me like I wasn't invisible. And if you really think that this whole 'shy girl' thing is just an act and I only became friends with you to steal your job from you, then I guess we're not as good of friends as I thought we were."

Emmeline tearfully bolted out of the room as fast as she could, eager to get away from the uncomfortable situation. She couldn't believe Chloe was accusing her of faking her shyness. What person would fake being scared in every single thing that took place?

Neither girl talked to the other for the rest of the day and into the next one. When Emmeline went to the Torch office, Clark was just leaving and Lana looked about ready to rip her hair out.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here," Lana said to her. "Please help me. I have no idea what I'm doing."

Emmeline smiled a little. "Well, I guess co-editor should do something about that."

"I know you didn't want that position. I tried to tell Kwan that, but he said that someone who worked on the staff and hardly got any credit deserved more spotlight."

"Next time, tell him I try to avoid the spotlight at all costs." She sat down at the computer and tried to put the issue in the proper format. For the rest of free period, she and Lana worked together and finally got the issue straightened out.

When the two girls released the issue, it wasn't long before Kwan stormed into the Torch office.

"Miss Lang! Miss Brooks! What's this?" he demanded.

Lana and Emmeline smiled at each other. The headline read, 'Kwan Crushes Freedom of Speech'.

"It's a news story," Lana answered calmly.

"It's unacceptable."

"Why? It covers all of your criteria. It deals with a student, a school-sponsored club, and there are no mutants in sight."

"Did you both do this because you thought I'd reinstate Miss Sullivan?"

"We did this because it's the right thing to do. Chloe was born for this job."

"Although I do admire her passion, her reporting lacks accuracy."

"I can work on that," Chloe interrupted as she walked in the room.

Kwan turned to her and sighed. "If you want your job back, Miss Sullivan, don't print what you can't prove. Do we have a deal?"

"Yeah. Thank you, Principal Kwan."

"Don't thank me. Thank Miss Lang and Miss Brooks."

"Congratulations," Lana smiled as Kwan left. "You deserve it."

"Thanks," Chloe smiled, setting her bag down. "Uh, you know, guys, I'm sorry I flipped out at you both the other day. I just…you know, Lana, the paper's kind of my identity and it's like the only thing that Clark and I do together and so when I saw you here—"

"You thought I was trying to cut Clark out of your life?" Lana asked in disbelief.

"Nobody ever said I was rational."

"I want to be friends with you, Chloe. And you too, Emmeline. But I don't want to stand between you and Clark."

Emmeline noticed Chloe's eyes water ever so slightly. "Oh no. Don't worry. There's nothing between us. We're just good friends. How about you?"

"Same thing. We're just friends."

"Good. I'm glad we got that out of the way. Now, let's see what you've messed up since I've been gone."

The three girls fixed everything Lana had screwed up during her time as editor. The end of the day bell soon rang, and Lana decided to clock out and head home leaving Chloe and Emmeline alone.

"Hey, uh, Em," Chloe said quietly. "I'm…really, really sorry for accusing you of faking the whole shy thing. I was way out of line."

"It's okay, Chloe. I know you were really upset about losing the paper and angry at Lana for stealing Clark. I would've been too."

"I'll make it up to you."

"You already have. You've been the best friend I've ever had these last few weeks. Actually, you're the first best friend I've ever had period."

"Well, apparently, I'm a pretty terrible one."

"A momentary weakness. We all have them. Especially when someone like Clark Kent is around."

"Forgive me?"

"Of course."

"You know…this last issue didn't look too bad. Would you like to remain co-editor?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. I think I prefer to be the unseen and unheard behind-the-scenes person."

"Maybe one day that will change."

"Maybe."


	10. Shimmer

Emmeline hated blood. So it was a real problem when the school held a blood drive. People kept asking Emmeline for a time for her to donate, but she couldn't get within fifty feet of that place without feeling sick.

She, Chloe, and Clark all headed to the Beanery to grab a coffee after school. Clark began talking about something weird going on in the guys' locker room.

"So you didn't see anything?" Chloe asked.

"By the time I got around the corner, Troy was already on the floor," Clark answered.

"What about the voice he heard?"

"What are you thinking, Chloe, that the locker room's haunted?"

"Not unless the meteor rocks can conjure up the ghost of dearly departed jock straps, which I seriously doubt."

"Well, that would definitely be the least strange thing I've ever seen in Smallville, especially with everything going lately," Emmeline said.

They all headed over and sat down at a table. "Well, it's nice to see you still have your standards," Clark said to Chloe.

Chloe and Emmeline noticed that Clark was looking towards the entrance, and when the girls looked over, Lana stood there arguing with Whitney.

"That doesn't look pretty," Chloe remarked. They argued for a little longer, then Lana started walking over to them. Chloe spun around. "Oh, quick! Pretend we weren't watching."

Clark turned away as Lana arrived at their table. With very poor acting, he asked her, "Hey, Lana, how's it going?"

"Not great, but thanks for the courtesy clueless," she smiled.

"Would it cheer you up if we offered to volunteer a pint for tomorrow?" Chloe asked.

"Let's find out." She looked down at her clipboard. "How about 9:45? That's open."

"Cool."

"There, better already," she said as she wrote down Chloe's name. "Emmeline, how about you?"

Emmeline looked up and mustered out, "I'm actually not going to donate. I have a huge problem with blood and I would most likely get sick the second I walked into the blood drive."

"It's okay, I understand. Clark? What time can we schedule you? We didn't pick a time for you yet. When can I put you down?"

"Actually, I'm not sure," Clark answered. "Can I get back to you?"

"Sure. Not a problem."

"Well, I mean I figure I could help out. You know, sign people up, pass out cookies."

Chloe and Emmeline looked at each other with raised eyebrows and small smirks. Typical Clark.

"That'd be great. Thanks."

"Bye," Chloe said as Lana walked away. She looked at Clark with a coy smile. "Okay, nice recovery, but am I to assume your offer to help isn't completely without an ulterior motive?"

Clark looked at her sheepishly then said, "I'm just being a good friend."

"Okay," Chloe said in a tone that said she obviously didn't believe him. Emmeline was so glad to have a friend like her.

The next day, the weirdness continued as Clark came in with another story and this time, pictures. Apparently, when Clark went to visit Lex at his mansion, threatening words were left on the walls in one of the rooms. Chloe tacked up one of the pictures onto the Wall of Weird.

"It doesn't leave much room for interpretation," Chloe remarked.

"It was pretty weird," Clark said. "I mean, the door was shaking. When we got close, it blew open and Lex said he felt something brush past him."

"Maybe his Scottish castle came complete with a poltergeist."

"Well, the police say it's vandals. They don't know many ghosts who write in spray paint and own a black light."

Chloe's eyes suddenly perked up. "So, how's the blood drive?"

"Actually, Lana and I are getting together tonight."

"At her place?"

"Yeah."

"That's very romantic." Clark looked away from her sheepishly. "Just remember, Clark, once you cross that line, you can't hide behind the cloak of friendship anymore. Proceed with caution."

Chloe and Emmeline turned around and gave each other annoyed looks. Lana really needed to go.

* * *

When Emmeline saw Clark and Pete walking into school, she went up to join them.

"'Have you seen the sunset from my loft'?" Pete laughed. "You actually said that?"

"Yep."

"That even sounds cheesy to me," Emmeline smiled.

"I bet your stomach was in the knots the whole time," Pete continued.

"Yep."

"Clark, if I were you, I'd start scripting what I was gonna say now."

"No, I think I'll play it by ear. You know, fly by the seat of my pants."

"Clark, you're not the flying type. I'll make you some notes."

"Yeah."

Pete and Emmeline kept walking to their next class while Clark stopped at his locker. "So, Chloe told me you have a thing about blood," Pete said to her.

Emmeline smiled awkwardly. "Always have. Once when I got a papercut, I threw up two seconds later even though barely two drops of blood came out. Now imagine me surrounded by pints and pints of it."

"And you don't have a thing with needles?"

"No. I could have thirty shots given to me at once and I wouldn't even flinch. It's just the blood that gets to me."

"What about if I helped you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look, donating blood could help save a life one day. It's really important. How about this? If I take you to the blood drive and my plan doesn't work, I'll never pester you again to try something you're completely against."

Emmeline sighed. "Fine, you can give it a shot."

"Sweet! Make sure you sign up for a time."

Emmeline looked after Pete with a small smile then headed off to class.

When Emmeline walked into the Torch office the next day, she walked in on Chloe and Clark. Clark quickly hid a mirror shard from her view for whatever reason.

She did manage to catch Chloe say, "Which means that whoever attacked you and Victoria in the bathroom…was invisible?"

"Hold it," Emmeline said. "Please emphasize on the 'you and Victoria in the bathroom' part."

"It's not what it sounds like. I heard the sound of glass shattering and when I checked up on her, she was submerged under the bathtub water, and I pulled her out. Then someone pushed me back and I cracked the mirror."

"So…you saw her…naked?"

"I…I didn't look."

"Going back to the invisibility thing," Chloe chuckled awkwardly. She took up another mirror shard and looked at it closer. "What's this green stuff?" She got some on her fingers and sniffed it. "Smells like roses."

Chloe wrote something down and Emmeline looked at Chloe's hand. The green stuff started to disappear…along with the parts of her fingers it was touching. "Uh…Chloe?"

Clark and Chloe looked at Chloe's hand. "What happened?" Clark asked.

"I just touched it," Chloe exclaimed. "Okay, I'm now officially weirded out. What is this?"

"I don't know, but if you rubbed that all over your body, you'd be—"

"Naked?"

"You'd be invisible."

Chloe wiped off the green stuff on her fingers and they returned to normal as she looked at her hand in shock.

The three of them left the Torch office and began walking outside.

"Okay, so what's our next move?" Chloe asked. "Should we call the police?"

"And report an invisible person?" Clark said. "We need a viable suspect."

"Well, who's got a problem with Lex's British fling?"

"Amy Palmer."

"Her parents are on the mansion's house staff, right?"

"Amy said she saw Victoria snooping around Lex's bedroom. She said Victoria didn't see her."

"No wonder. Wait. Didn't Amy give blood?"

"3:45, station B."

"Whoa. You've got a freakishly good memory. Okay, I'll get the blood type on the broken piece of glass and check it against Amy's."

"Great. Call me later?"

"Top of my speed dial."

Clark smiled and walked away. Emmeline looked at Chloe. "'Top of my speed dial'?" she asked playfully.

"Well, who else would I put at the top of my speed dial?"

"Good point."

That night, Chloe and Emmeline did their part of the deal and researched Amy's blood type. It wasn't a match. The scary part was who it did match up to. The two girls went to Clark's house and when no one answered at the door, they went to the loft.

"Hello?" Chloe called. She went up the stairs and saw Martha talking with Clark. "Hi, Mrs. Kent."

"Hi, Chloe. Emmeline," Martha said. She turned to Clark as she left and said, "I'll see you later."

"Okay, so, bad news on the Dracula front," Chloe said as she and Emmeline sat down on either side of Clark. "The drop of blood found on the mirror was Type A. Amy Palmer is Type O."

"But she had a shrine to Lex in her room," Clark said.

"A shrine?" Emmeline asked in disbelief.

"She may be a little Lex-obsessed, but she's not the one that tried to off Victoria," Chloe explained. "Check the paper."

Chloe handed Clark their results. "Well, Amy's blood type doesn't match, but look at Jeff's."

"Her brother? He's always been so quiet."

"Practically invisible. I'll catch up with you later."

Clark took off and Chloe sighed and leaned back on the couch. "We always miss the good stuff," Emmeline said.

"Sometimes, I'm okay with that. Considering the last time I didn't miss it, I was almost killed by someone trying to suck the heat out of my body."

"Point taken."

* * *

As Emmeline waited outside the blood drive for Pete, her heart was racing and she felt like she wanted to pass out even though she hadn't even seen any blood yet.

"Hey, are you ready for this?" Pete said as he came up to her.

"I guess so."

"Turn around."

Emmeline did so and Pete tied a black blindfold around her eyes. She smiled broadly as she realized what he was doing. He took her arm and led her into the blood drive. He then checked her in and led her to a station. The nurse working her station stuck the needle in her and that part didn't bother her in the slightest.

When she finished donating blood, Pete led her back outside. "You can take the blindfold off now," he told her.

She did so and found him standing there holding out a cookie for her. She took it and smiled.

"You did it!" he exclaimed. "You donated blood!"

"Yeah, I did!" Emmeline looked at him still smiling. "Thanks, Pete."


	11. Hug

When Chloe, Lana, and Clark got the bright idea to go horseback riding in the middle of the woods on a rainy day and then invite Emmeline to join them, she wasn't sure who to blame.

While Clark and Lana, no surprise, talked a little ahead of them, Chloe tried to gain control on her own horse as Emmeline rode beside her.

"Okay, here we go," Chloe said nervously. "Whoa! I thought learning to drive my dad's Volvo was difficult. But at least the car came with windshield wipers."

"Chloe, you're doing fine for your first time," Clark threw back.

"Em, how are you doing so well on that horse?" Chloe asked her as her own horse decided to take a 360.

"My parents used to take me horseback riding when I was younger. I stopped when I was twelve. I guess everything I learned stuck with me."

"I'm glad you did so well."

"Oh don't worry, I started out just like you…but worse. My horse threw me off his back and I landed in the mud."

Chloe laughed and then looked around her on her jacket. "I dropped my camera," she groaned.

Clark sighed then smiled. "Chloe, what did you bring that thing for, anyway?"

"I'm not out here doing this butt-bashing thing for fun. These woods are like the Bermuda triangle of Smallville." When she her friends disbelieving looks she quickly added, "No, I'm serious, you guys, people come in here, and when they leave they can't remember a thing. There've been dozens of incidents in the past ten years."

"I'll go get your camera," Lana said.

"Thank you."

Lana turned her horse around and started back down the path.

"The stories in these woods go back to the Civil War," Clark said to Chloe.

"No, Clark, what I'm talking about happened like a week ago. Some surveyors from Rickman Industries came screaming out of the woods, and they can't even remember what happened."

"I'm sure you have a theory about this."

"Kyle Tippet."

"The guy who sells weird sculptures in town?"

"Yeah, don't you think it's odd he lives out here all alone in the woods?"

"Thoreau did."

"Tarzan was raised in the woods," Emmeline added.

"The Unabomber lived alone in the woods too, you guys."

Suddenly, a scream echoed out from behind them that could only belong to one person.

"Lana!" Clark exclaimed. He quickly dismounted from his horse. "Chloe, Em, stay with the horses."

"Uh, okay," Chloe answered.

Emmeline dismounted from her own horse and calmed the other horses down.

"You have a gift."

"More like my family paid hundreds of dollars for lessons."

Not too long after, Clark and Lana came stumbling back while Clark led Lana's horse around.

"What happened?" Chloe asked in a panicked voice when she saw Lana's frazzled state.

"The good news is I found your camera," Clark said. "The bad news is that someone, most likely Kyle Tippet, may have attacked Lana. I'm going to take her home. Can you two get the horses back?"

"Yeah, sure thing."

Emmeline helped Chloe figure out what to do with the horses and the two girls successfully got the four horses back at the stables.

The next day, news traveled very fast that Crazy Kyle was booked for assault against Whitney, but Clark didn't seem convinced.

Chloe looked at the newspaper with poor Kyle on the front. "Tippet hasn't broken hermit status in years and all of a sudden he's one of Smallville's most wanted?" she asked in disbelief.

"Something must have made him snap," Pete said.

"I think it's Bob Rickman," Clark remarked.

"Yeah, but what does our rural Rodin have against Rickman, other than the obvious 'poisoning-the-environment' angle?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know. Could you do some digging, find a connection?"

"Yeah. Absolutely. Sounds like an interesting story." She put two pictures beside each other, one of Kyle and the other of Rickman, trying to find a similarity from first glance. "Tree-hugging hermit versus pesticide tycoon."

Pete took the pictures from her and studied them as well. "What do you think they have in common?"

"Definitely not their personal grooming habits."

Lana suddenly walked into the Torch office to crash their party.

"Lana!" Clark smiled. They all looked at her and noticed that she looked extremely ticked off. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he got up and went over to her.

Lana's brow furrowed and she looked over at the other three. "Can you give us a minute?" she said firmly.

"Yeah," Chloe muttered as they all left Clark and Lana alone.

Emmeline didn't like where that was headed. From what she knew about Clark, he always tried to do the right thing no matter what it cost. From what she knew about Lana, she would do anything to defend Whitney, even if she ended up being wrong. That was really going to get her in trouble if she wasn't careful.

She also didn't like how Lana felt like she could just waltz in and kick the three of them out of the place where _they_ worked. If she wanted to talk to Clark, she should've pulled him out of the room. It wasn't her room to begin with.

Lana Lang needed an attitude adjustment.

Chloe and Emmeline spent a lot of time in the Torch office researching everything they could find about Kyle and Rickman. Then the two girls went to the Beanery to meet up with Clark and Lex.

"So, we spent the morning delving into the exotic world of agricultural equipment, and it seems that Kyle and Rickman were partners in the mid-80s," Chloe explained.

"They sold farm equipment?" Lex asked.

"Yeah, they were Salesmen of the Year, three years running. '89, '90 and '91. Then the year after that, Rickman started his own company and Kyle went _Walden_."

"Wonder what happened," Clark murmured.

"I don't know, but Em found this story in the Smallville Ledger." She handed a news article clipping to Clark.

"'Salesmen trapped in car after meteor shower'," Clark read.

"I'm guessing whatever's going on started that sunny October day, twelve years ago."

"Let's go ask him," Lex said.

"What, you know where he is?"

The four of them traveled to Lex's mansion where Kyle was apparently hiding out. When they got the bedroom, it was empty except for a nurse in purple scrubs.

"Where's Kyle?" Lex asked the nurse.

"Who?" the nurse said, genuinely confused.

"I think I know where he went," Clark said. He, Emmeline, and Chloe all headed out to the woods until they came across his trailer. He was leaving right as they walked up and he didn't look too happy about the company.

"I appreciate the help, Clark, but I'm done here," Kyle said shortly.

"We know that Rickman used to be your partner," Clark told him.

"That was a million years ago."

"What happened to you guys in that meteor shower?" Chloe asked. Kyle slowly stopped walking. "Trust me, you're not the only ones that were affected by it."

"What's going on with you and Rickman?" Clark said firmly. "How did he get my dad to sell our farm?"

Kyle turned to face them. "You know, until that day, we were the worst salesmen to ever carry a catalog. And all that changed after they pulled us out of that car. With a single handshake we could get people to do whatever we wanted them to do. Buy a tractor. Stand on one leg."

"You're saying you have the power of persuasion?"

"How long does it last?" Chloe asked.

"Until the person does what I tell them to do," Kyle answered. "Could be two minutes, two hours, and then they come out of it without a memory."

"What happens if they can't do what you want?" Clark wondered.

"They keep trying, unless they're forcibly snapped out of it like your friend, Whitney."

Chloe smirked a little. "Well, it sounds good in theory, but, uh, how about you prove it?"

"Chloe…" Clark said a little embarrassed by her actions.

"What? The guy lives in a crappy trailer out in the woods. You'd think if he has this power, he'd use it to sell some of these sculptures."

"It's dangerous," Kyle told her.

"I'm used to living on the edge."

Kyle held his hand out for her. Chloe hesitantly took it and then Kyle grabbed her hand with both of his. Her eyes turned a weird green color as she stared at him.

"You have feelings for Clark, don't you, Chloe?"

Emmeline's eyes widened just a little. This was about to be quite awkward once she snapped out of this. Clark smiled disbelievingly.

"You see him, and you want him. All this time, you've been hiding it. Now you can show him."

Chloe went over to Clark and seductively put her hands to his chest and slowly lifted them higher and higher. Then she grabbed onto his collar and threw her lips onto his. Emmeline's mouth popped wide open at the sight of her best friend kissing the guy they both had feelings for. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't a little bit jealous.

Chloe ended the kiss and faced Kyle again. "Okay, come on! I'm ready." She looked at her friends' faces, specifically Emmeline who looked like she was about to burst out laughing, and her brow furrowed. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? And why is my mouth minty?"

"Let's just say he proved his point," Clark said as he put his hand to his mouth.

A look of realization crossed her face. "Oh…did I just…"

"Don't worry. It was fine."

Chloe put her hand to her head and began blushing furiously. Kyle seemed eager to get off the topic so he picked up his bag. "Well, now that the party trick's over, I gotta hit the road."

"Wait," Clark called. "You have these gifts, but you hid in the woods. Why?"

"Because I was scared that I wouldn't be able to control it and that I'd wind up like Bob."

"What happened between you and Rickman? Why does he want to kill you?"

"He knows that I know his secret. And I threatened to expose him if he ever built a plant here."

"Yeah, but he's been destroying communities like this for years," Chloe remarked. "How come you let him get away from it for so long?"

"Because I wanted to be left alone! As long as it wasn't here, it wasn't my problem!"

"My dad lost our farm because you didn't tell anyone," Clark yelled.

"Do you know what it's like to have to hide because of who you are?"

"Yes, I do. But when you have a gift you can't just hide in a hole and hope it goes away."

Kyle agreed to see Rickman and put a stop to what he was doing and get Clark's farm back.

Meanwhile, once again, Emmeline and Chloe were forced to miss the action that followed and just trusted that Clark would come into the Torch the next day and tell them all about it.

"So," Emmeline said with a large smile. "Nice move back there."

Chloe turned bright red. "You know, I wasn't really all that embarrassed that I kissed him. I was upset that I finally got to kiss the guy I have feelings for and I don't even get to remember it."

"I can see how that would be frustrating."

"You're not jealous, are you? Remember our deal."

"Okay, Chloe, you know as well as I do that if one of us gets him, the other will be happy for her but she'll also be a bit jealous. So yes, I am a little jealous that you got to kiss him."

"Fair enough."

Emmeline was quite shocked to find out the next day that Bob Rickman ended up committing suicide the night before. But she knew better. Kyle had something to do with it.

Before school, she headed out to his trailer to see if he was still there, and he appeared to be just about ready to leave.

"Hey," he said to her kindly. "It's Emmeline, right?"

"Yes, sir. I wanted to see if you were alright."

"Why don't you ask Rickman?"

Emmeline smiled a little and nodded.

"Any particular reason you came all the way out here?"

"We're a lot alike."

"Oh, really?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah. I may not know what it's like to have abilities like yours, but I do know what it's like to close yourself off from everyone. To feel like you don't have a friend in the world."

"You could've fooled me. I saw the way you were with Chloe and Clark."

"You saw a ten minute glance into my life. What you didn't see was the years I spent locked up at home because I was too afraid to talk to anyone. I may as well have lived out in the woods just like you."

Kyle's face softened up a little bit in understanding.

"But all that ended the day I got the guts to talk to join our school newspaper. I work behind the scenes, but I've made a lot of incredible friends now. All it took was a little courage."

"You're an inspiring person, Emmeline. I think you're going to be doing big things one day."

"I don't know. I'm still shy."

"Coming out here to talk to me? That shows that you may not be as shy as you think."

Emmeline thought about what he was saying. He made a really, really good point. Before she met Chloe and Clark, the mere thought of Kyle would make her want to hide out in her room.

And now here she was with him making conversation as if he was an old friend.

"I got to hit the road before more people come looking for me. It was really nice talking to you and Clark. Makes me realize that not everyone is the same."

Emmeline smiled. She watched as he got into his truck and drove away from Smallville forever.

It shocked her to see how much she was changing. And all for the better.


	12. Leech

Usually, Emmeline loved the outdoors. Except when she was out there for class which was exactly what was happening that day. She and her classmates were all looking for different kinds of rocks for their science class.

"Okay, people, you've got 15 minutes!" their teacher announced. "A storm's on its way and I want to be on the road before it hits."

Chloe and Emmeline spread out and started looking for their remaining rocks. Chloe didn't seem to be having the best time, but Emmeline would sometimes spend hours in the woods and had become quite the climber.

"Why are you so good at everything?" Chloe complained.

"When you're as shy as I am, you find a lot of ways to kill time."

"Apparently, I need to pick up that technique."

"It's not that great. I think you're a much better person the way you are. Besides, you couldn't pretend to be shy if you wanted to."

"Fair point."

The two girls climbed down and joined Lana, Pete, and Clark at the bottom.

"When is this whole geological scavenger hunt over?" Chloe complained.

"Not having much luck?" Pete asked.

"Someone's doing a little more ranting than digging," Lana laughed.

"I'm sorry, but I find geology even more pointless than algebra. I mean, I could just order these rocks online and have them delivered vacuum-sealed."

"But that wouldn't be nearly as fun," Emmeline joked.

Clark, Pete, and Emmeline started walking to the bus when they overheard a conversation between their teacher and his son, Eric.

"Get with the program, Eric!" his dad yelled.

"Dad—"

"It's Mr. Summers at school. You have ten minutes to complete this assignment. You better find every rock."

Mr. Summers walked away as the three awkwardly stood there.

"I'm glad he's not my dad," Pete remarked.

Emmeline nodded her head in agreement. They all continued onto the bus while the rest of the class tried to find their remaining samples.

Once everyone was back on the bus, Mr. Summers called out, "Has anyone seen Eric? Apparently he's got himself lost."

"I'll find him," Clark said as he stood up and got off the bus.

When neither of the boys came back, Pete and Emmeline went looking for them when Mr. Summers had his back turned.

They found the two guys near the top of the dam. Eric was unconscious and Clark looked injured.

"Clark!" Emmeline called as she ran to him. "Are you both alright?"

"I think so," he answered. "Help him."

Pete got Eric conscious again and the four of them went back to the bus. Mr. Summers didn't look happy, but he didn't say anything.

* * *

When Emmeline walked into the Torch office the next day, Chloe immediately hounded her. "Do you know if Clark is okay?"

"No, why?"

"I haven't seen him all day. Was he hurt yesterday when you found him?"

"I mean, he looked fine as far as I could tell."

"I'm just worried about him. From what Pete was saying, he didn't seem fine during gym class."

"We could always go over to the farm later."

"No, I don't want to seem like that girl who's stalking him. Hopefully, I'll see him tomorrow."

Unfortunately, the next day, Clark was still a no-show. Chloe called him up and she looked confused when she got off the phone. "Apparently, Clark is still doing his chores and that's why he blew us off."

"Clark has never blown you guys off for chores before, right?" Emmeline asked.

"He's been acting weird lately," Pete said.

Chloe smirked. "Well, okay, Clark's always acting weird. Why don't you give me a gauge?"

"He was so tired in math class today, he face-planted on his desk."

Emmeline giggled a little. "It was kinda funny though."

Chloe laughed. "I have two words for him. Power bar."

They had only walked a few more feet before some really sketchy guy grabbed Chloe's bag. The three of them tried to hit him and take the bag back but to no avail.

"Give me my laptop!" Chloe screamed.

Emmeline watched as Eric stepped in front of the guy. The man took out a knife and attempted to stab him, but the knife came in contact with Eric's hand and shattered. Then Eric grabbed the man and flung him with one arm into a truck and he landed on the other side of the street.

"Did you see that?" Chloe exclaimed.

"Yeah," Pete answered. "Unbelievable."

The three of them went up to him where a circle of people surrounded him expressing their congratulations, and he handed Chloe her bag. "Thank you," Chloe said. "That was amazing."

"Any time," Eric smiled.

Emmeline looked at him suspiciously. There was something weird going on here. Clark gets tired and worn out incredibly fast all of a sudden and now Eric has some kind of power boost? Something happened at that dam that Clark wasn't telling anyone.

News of Eric's victory spread faster than wildfire and appeared in the morning paper all thanks to Chloe.

"Clark, you should have seen it," Pete said excitedly as the four of them walked through the hallway. "Eric threw the guy like 30 feet."

"Not only did he recover my laptop, but I got my first byline in the Smallville Ledger," Chloe said happily.

"That's great, Chloe," Clark said, the tone of his voice betraying his words.

"Come on, Clark! How can you be so blasé about this?"

"The guy stopped a purse snatcher. It's not that big a deal."

"Em, will you please tell him that it was amazing?"

"Uh…"

Before she could say anything, Eric ran up to the group. "Chloe! Hey, thanks for getting that story in the paper."

"Thanks for saving my computer. It's my life." She thought about what she just said, then added, "Okay, how pathetic did that just sound?"

Eric smiled. "So, uh, who came up with 'Super Boy'?"

"I did."

"Really? I like that."

"Thanks."

Chloe turned back around, all smiles. If she was seriously considering going out with that guy, Emmeline had a few words to say about that one.

"I thought it was kind of lame," Clark admitted when Eric walked away.

"I don't remember asking you," Chloe answered, still smiling.

"Clark's just jealous," Pete said.

"I hope all this attention doesn't go to his head. He needs to be careful," Clark told them.

Chloe laughed a little. "Well, you know what, Clark? The second you start throwing people 30 feet, I'll write nice things about you too."

Chloe kept going as Lana and Whitney came up to them.

"Hey, guys," Lana smiled.

"Hey," Pete and Emmeline greeted.

When Clark didn't say anything, Lana laughed, "Clark, are you okay?"

"I'm great!"

Whitney looked at the guys. "Ross, I'm getting a pick-up game together in the gym. You and Kent versus me and Brent. What do you say?"

"Clark doesn't really play," Pete told him.

"No, I play," Clark said quickly.

"Great," Whitney smiled. "Bring it on."

Clark and Pete started heading to the gym. "Since when do you play?" Pete asked.

"Since now. Em, you going to come watch?"

Emmeline was about to say no, but then she pictured getting to watch Clark play sports in all his glory. "Sure," she smiled. "Why not?"

It was really a dream come true. He looked so hot out there on the court as he and Pete tried to get as many baskets as they could. He smiled over at Emmeline a few times and it made her want to jump up and down in excitement. They ended up losing and it was comical to see Clark seem so happy about it.

Sometime later, a loud commotion outside forced the four of them outside along with half the student body.

Some guy was hiding under a car and Eric went over to the car and lifted it up with ease. "What's the problem, Brent? Why are you hiding from nothing?"

Brent ran in several directions, but Eric sped in front of him each time. Then he picked him up and threw him where he crashed onto a table. His girlfriend ran over to him in a panic.

Clark ran in front of Eric. "Eric! You can't do this."

"Watch me," Eric said icily.

"No, I'm serious! You could kill someone. You don't want that on your conscience, believe me. You've just got to calm down."

"You're not my father, Clark. Now shut up and get out of my way!"

Eric picked up Clark and threw him on top of a parked vehicle. Emmeline ran over to him as fast as her legs would carry her. "Clark!" she screamed. A trickle of blood was coming down his forehead and he was unconscious. Several people began dialing 911 to get some help for him. Paramedics arrived within minutes and took Clark away to the hospital.

That night, after Clark got back home, Emmeline stopped by. She knocked on the screen door and Martha looked up.

"Come on in, Emmeline!" she called. "Clark is just on the couch taking it easy."

Emmeline went into the living room and saw Clark with bandaged up ribs. He didn't have a shirt on, but she tried to ignore that. It proved to be quite difficult.

"Oh, hey, Em," he smiled.

She smiled back and bit her lip. "How are you feeling?"

"Nothing's broken so that's good news."

"It's weird, I've never seen you get hurt before."

"I guess there's a first time for everything."

Emmeline smiled and then looked over at him. "Did something happen to you that day at the dam? That's when everything started getting…strange."

"Nothing worth telling."

She wanted so direly to press it, but she was sure that was the last thing he wanted from her, so she forced herself to drop it. "Feel better."

"Hey, Em," he called. He motioned for her to sit down on the couch and she did so. "You've been a really good friend these past few weeks. We've all noticed a change in you. When we first met you, we couldn't get you to make eye-contact with anyone or raise your voice above a whisper. And now here you are, calling for me and coming over to my house on your own free will."

Emmeline smiled shyly. "It's been a nice change. My parents think so too. They're ready to adopt you all."

"Already adopted, but thanks. It's good to see you opening up."

"It only took conquering my biggest fear by joining the Torch which forced me to talk to people, and have a few run-ins with some meteor freaks."

"All in a day's work in good old Smallville!"

"Thanks for being such a good friend, Clark. Guys like you are hard to come around."

* * *

When Emmeline saw Clark walking around in school, he looked way better than when she had seen him injured on his sofa. He was definitely back to his usual self while Eric was in the hospital. She was still confused with what exactly happened with him, but it would be rude of her to pester him about it. If he hadn't told her before, he didn't want to tell her at all and she would just have to be okay with that.

"Welcome back," she smiled at him.

"What do you mean?"

"You've just been acting weird these last couple of days. It's good to see the old you."

"It's good to see the new you."

"And getting better every day."


	13. Kinetic

Interviews with Lex Luthor were hard to come by, so it was only natural that Chloe conducted one at his mansion well into the night.

Clark and Emmeline were taping the interview. Chloe had invited Emmeline to sit next to her, but she insisted that she'd rather be behind the camera.

Clark was having trouble getting the camera started, and Chloe was looking at him impatiently.

"Are you ready now, Clark?" she asked.

"Yeah, I forgot to press the record button. Sorry," Clark answered.

He finally turned it on and Chloe turned back to Lex. "So, Mr. Luthor. Are there anymore secret construction projects going on at LuthorCorp like Level 3?"

"Please, call me Lex," Lex smiled.

Chloe didn't look amused. "Okay, Lex. Are you going to answer my question?"

"Chloe," Clark said a little embarrassed.

"What?"

"It's okay, Clark," Lex said smoothly. "'Our critics are our friends. They show us our faults'."

"Benjamin Franklin."

One of Lex's servants entered the room. "Excuse me, Mr. Luthor. Your father's on the phone."

"I need to get this. I'll take it in the conservatory." He looked over at Chloe. "I look forward to resuming our verbal judo."

Chloe smiled a little as Lex left the room. She stood up and began looking around the study. "I wonder if he's really taking a call or if he's just trying to avoid me."

"Well, you certainly don't hold back when it comes to interviews," Emmeline said. "I would've been uncomfortable."

"You wanna get a story, you have to fight for it." She looked at an urn on his bookshelf. "Wow. That's really cool. Do you think it's real?"

Emmeline and Clark went to look at it. When they turned around, Chloe was nowhere in sight.

Clark sighed and the both of them went to go look for her. When they found her roaming around the halls and trying out doors, Clark glared at her. "Chloe, you can't just go snooping around someone's house."

"Clark, it's a mansion. It's designed for snooping." When Clark looked her pointedly, she added, "Okay, fine. We'll go and wait in the library for Lex to officially blow us off."

They returned to the study and Clark walked to the camera. "I'll put the camera away."

"Okay. I'm gonna go get my bag."

As Chloe packed her things up, there was a noise behind them and they saw two masked guys attacking Clark, one of them having him in a chokehold.

"Chloe, Em, run!" he choked out.

The two girls ran out of the study and bumped into yet another masked man. They tried to run, but he grabbed the both of them before they could get far. Chloe and Emmeline began hitting him, trying to get him to let go so they could get away. The man flung Chloe towards the window and she crashed through it.

"Chloe!" Emmeline screamed. The masked man hit her on the face and she crumpled to the ground, feeling a massive bruise begin to form on her cheek.

The robbers all ran out of the mansion as fast as they could.

"Em!" Clark cried as he got to her.

"Help Chloe!" Emmeline said weakly.

Emmeline heard a loud scream and a sickening thud. Clark ran to the window and there laid an unconscious Chloe on the ground below.

* * *

Clark and Emmeline were sitting in Chloe's hospital room watching her sleep. She had a huge bruise on her eye and her arm was in a large cast. It would take a while for her to fully recover. Emmeline fought the urge to burst into tears. Her first true friend and she had almost lost her. It was weird to see Chloe, someone who was tougher than metal, lying in a hospital bed all broken and banged up.

"Clark, Emmeline," they heard. They turned around to see Lex walk into the room and join them. "Don't worry. I brought in the best doctors from Metropolis."

"Is she gonna be all right?" Clark asked.

"The doctors aren't sure."

At that, Emmeline could no longer hold back her tears and two fat ones ran down her cheeks. Clark noticed and put his arm around her.

"The fall was pretty bad," Lex continued. "She broke her left arm and has a concussion. They want to make sure there's no brain swelling."

"I should have gotten to her."

"I don't mean to belabor the obvious, Clark, but this isn't your fault."

"I just don't know what happened. One minute the room is empty and then they appear out of thin air. Do the police have any leads?"

"They don't think I'm the first one that's been hit. There have been over a dozen of these robberies all over the county. This gang somehow gets in and out without busting a single lock. They even tried to hit the Smallville Savings and Loan."

"I didn't hear about that."

"Banks don't publicize attempted robberies, Clark. It's bad for their image."

"If nothing was taken, how do they know they were robbed?"

"Apparently they tripped an alarm inside the vault. Although no one knows how they got in there in the first place."

"And the stuff they stole from you, can the police trace it?"

"I didn't report anything stolen, Clark."

"Why not? I saw them walk out with two bags."

"I don't care about that! I just want to find the people who did this to Chloe and when I do, I promise you they will be dealt with accordingly."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you should let me worry about it. Now, why don't you go both home and get some rest?"

Lex left the room and the two turned back to Chloe. More tears spilled from Emmeline's eyes. "I can't lose her."

* * *

Emmeline sat in the privacy of her room with tears continuing to make strides down her face. There was a soft knock on the door.

"Emmeline?"

It was her mother.

"Baby, are you alright?"

Emmeline turned to her and her mother could see the many tear stains that rested on her bruised cheeks. She came and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Mom, Chloe is my first real friend," she cried. "What am I supposed to do if I lose her?"

"Oh, sweetie," her mother said wrapping her arms around her. "From what I know about Chloe, she's tough. She's going to be okay."

The house phone rang so her mother left to answer it. When she came back in, she was all smiles.

"Sweetheart, that was Clark. Chloe's dad called him and he said she's awake. Clark's on the way to see her now!"

Emmeline bolted up and booked it to the hospital as fast as she could. She met up with Clark, who was carrying a bouquet of flowers for Chloe, at the entrance. They checked in and headed down to Chloe's room.

Chloe looked up at them and smiled. "Hey."

Emmeline ran up to her and hugged her as tightly as she could without hurting her. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"You guys are officially my first visitors."

"How you feeling?" Clark asked.

"Like a million bucks…thrown in the washing machine set on spin."

"Everyone was real worried about you."

"Yeah, I noticed. Looks like Nell's flower shop's been stripped clean. I especially like the ones from Lex. They make me feel like I won the Kentucky Derby."

Clark awkwardly handed her his own bouquet of flowers.

"They're beautiful, Clark. They're my favorite."

Clark sat down on her bed. "I, uh, I just want to say I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Letting you get hurt."

"Well, I am perturbed with you, Clark." After a pause, she added, "I'm also mad that you didn't put out the Chicago Fire of 1871, or prevent the fall of the Roman Empire, making you directly responsible for the Dark Ages."

Clark smiled. "Thanks. Do you, uh, do you remember anything about those guys?"

"There was one thing. The guy that grabbed us, he had a tattoo on his forearm, an octagon maybe. What's going on, Clark?"

"I don't know. Let me do some digging."

Chloe smiled at him. "Clark Kent, investigative reporter. Has a nice ring to it."

Clark looked at her with a smirk then leaned down and kissed her forehead. Emmeline smiled a little and raised her eyebrows.

"You get some rest."

"I'll try."

Clark left and Emmeline looked over at her. "He just kissed you on the forehead. And you'll actually remember this one!"

Chloe laughed. "Well, at least one good thing has come from all of this."

Emmeline's smile disappeared. "I was so scared I was going to lose you. You're the only real friend I have. I couldn't bear to not have you in my life."

"Don't you worry, Em. You're not going to lose me for a long, long time."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I have someone like you who will make sure of that."

A nurse came into Chloe's room. "Excuse me, miss?" she said to Emmeline. "You have to leave now. Miss Sullivan needs her rest."

"Yes, ma'am." She turned to Chloe and hugged her again. "Feel better."

* * *

A couple days later, Pete caught up with Emmeline in the hallway. "Hey, Em! Chloe called. She said we should meet her at the hospital."

"Why? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I told her what Clark and I were up to, you know trying to figure out who attacked you guys."

"What have you found so far?"

"It looks like it's a couple of guys who lost their futures when they were in high school. Injuries and drugs and stuff like that. So now, they're taking what they believe is owed to them. Somehow, they can walk through walls to do this stuff."

"You know, one of these days, maybe a crime will occur that doesn't involve anything completely out of the ordinary."

"That'll be the day. I thought we could walk over to the hospital."

"Yeah, sure."

Emmeline grabbed her things and the both of them headed over to Chloe's room. It wasn't long before Clark walked in. "Pete? Em? What are you both doing here? We were all supposed to meet at the Torch."

"Yeah, well, Chloe called and I told her what we were doing."

"So I insisted that you guys come here," Chloe finished.

"You should be resting," Clark said firmly.

"You know what? All this resting is driving me insane. These so-called healthcare professionals just want me to stay in bed and eat Jell-O. And they won't even let Em stay for longer than ten minutes."

"Those fascists."

Emmeline and Pete laughed together, but Chloe looked like she was on her last nerve. "Clark, I need to do this, okay? Don't cut me out of it, please?"

"Okay."

"So I was surfing the net, doing some research."

"How'd you get online here?"

"Pete hijacked the phone line for me." Pete smiled proudly.

"What have you got?"

"What if these guys are using meteorite tattoos to speed up their metabolism? I mean, their molecules are literally moving at hyper speed."

"That's how they're able to go through solid objects?"

"That's crazy," Pete remarked.

"Well, they're doing it," Chloe told him.

"It's like the ultimate rush," Clark said.

"But there's no way their bodies can handle that kind of stress for long."

"What are you saying will happen?"

"You take the ultimate rush, you pay the ultimate price."

Clark and Pete left as the girls stared after them. "There goes Clark again to save the day," Emmeline said.

"He'll always be that person. That's why I love him."

"I have to admit, whenever I'm in trouble and he saves me…it almost makes it worth it."

"I will gladly second that. Better get out of here soon or the nurse is going to come in and kick you out again."

"Alright, I'm leaving. When are you being discharged?"

"Hopefully, they'll release me by tomorrow."

"I'll be there."

* * *

The next day, Clark, Lana, and Emmeline all went to the hospital and Chloe was released to them.

"Ah, the sweet smell of freedom!" Chloe said as they walked down the street.

"Chloe, you were in the hospital, not Alcatraz," Clark said.

"You spend a week in there, and you'd feel like a prisoner too. I mean, come on. Eating bad food, lights out by nine, and no cable? I'm thinking about doing an exposé." She looked over at Lana. "How's Whitney, by the way?"

"He's taking it one day at a time," Lana answered.

"Good. All right, well bye." Chloe began rushing off.

"Chloe, where are you going?" Clark called.

"I'm just gonna go do a little checking with the police. Apparently none of the tattoo ink was found at the loft and Scott and Derek aren't saying anything to anyone, so I smell a cover up."

"Chloe. It's good to have you back."

"Thanks."

Emmeline looked at them. "I have to go too. Mom's preparing a big meal for me and Dad. We don't get family dinners often so she wanted to make the most of the one we're getting. I'll see you both later."

Emmeline began to walk back home. Chloe was back and all was well. And she was going to make sure that it would stay that way.


	14. Zero

"There is nothing like 50 minutes of Mr. Austin's English class that works up an appetite," Clark said as they were released from a very, very boring English class.

"There's nothing like having a 6-page student biography due Monday to help me lose mine," Pete griped.

"What, the biography part, or the fact that our fellow student subjects were randomly assigned?" Chloe smiled.

Clark looked at Pete. "Pete's convinced that the drawing was fixed."

"There are a dozen ladies in our class, each worthy of lengthy interrogation," Pete said. "I get stuck with Stan Gibson."

"The manager of the student store? Well, I hear he's very—"

"Efficient?" Chloe finished.

"Very funny," Pete said shortly. "I'm about to learn more about the art of selling 'Go Crow' pendants than any human should have to endure." He looked over at Chloe. "You haven't stopped smiling since we left. Who's your victim?"

"The illustrious Mr. Kent himself!"

Pete started laughing and Clark's eyes widened. "Me?"

"I take it back," Pete laughed. "Chloe's the one with the challenge."

"Excuse me," Clark said offended.

"No offense, Clark, but digging up six pages of interesting on you is going to require some serious excavation."

"I do stuff."

"Yes, and I'm sure that once I deploy my journalistic skills on you, I'll be able to unearth a skeleton or two," Chloe smiled.

"You know, uh, Chloe. This is a class project, not a corruption scandal."

"Relax, Clark, it's not like you have anything to hide, right?"

"Come on, Clark," Pete said. "Cough it up. Who'd you get?"

"Actually, I got Em," Clark answered.

"Really?" Emmeline asked surprised. She sighed. "I hate this assignment."

"What? Why?"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm a little closed off. I don't want someone prying into my life, and I don't want to ask someone else questions. That's why I took the position at the Torch that requires no talking whatsoever."

"Well, don't worry," Chloe assured. "I'm sure Clark will play nice. Who did you get?"

"I got Lana."

"Why did you all get people you know?" Pete asked. "Like I said, definitely rigged."

Emmeline smiled a little bit. "Believe me, I don't want to do this anymore than you do."

"Em, I've been helping Lana over at the Talon, getting ready for the grand opening," Clark said. "But we could do the interview sometime tonight or tomorrow."

"Guess I have no choice."

"It won't be as bad as you think."

Chloe laughed. "The surrogate boyfriend does the heavy lifting while Whitney works at his dad's store."

"On that note."

Clark began to walk away, but Chloe pulled him back. "Wait. When are you gonna sit down and do my interview?"

"Right. Uh, I'll be around."

Clark walked off and Chloe turned to look at her friends. "Did he just blow me off?"

"Looks like he hates interviews more than I do," Emmeline remarked.

"One step forward, two steps back," Pete commented. "Come on."

That evening, as Emmeline was in her room finishing up homework, her mom knocked on the door. "Hey, Emmeline?"

"Yeah?" she answered without turning around.

"Clark's here."

She finally turned towards the door and saw Clark standing there with several sheets of paper and a pencil. "Ready to do my interview," he smiled.

Emmeline's mother smiled. "I'll bring up some snacks for you two."

"Thanks, Mom!" She looked over at Clark. "Have a seat."

He sat down on her other chair and faced her. "Alright, before I ask my questions, I want you to just talk to me. Tell me what I need to know about Emmeline Brooks."

"Well…the first thing you should know about me is that…I'm adopted. I've never met my real parents."

Clark froze and it took a lot longer than she would've liked for him to form words. "You're adopted?" he finally asked.

She nodded in reply.

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Especially Chloe? I would've thought she would be the first person you'd tell that to."

"Well…it's not that I'm embarrassed by the fact that my parents aren't my real parents. I love them both more than anything and they love me. I guess I'm just more embarrassed by the fact that…my real parents didn't want me. It makes me think that something's wrong with me, and if people found out, they wouldn't want to be friends with me."

"Em, take from someone who knows, people won't care that you're adopted, they'll care about you and who you are as a person. Well, true friends anyway."

"I couldn't have asked for better people to adopt me. Sometimes, I even forget that they didn't give birth to me."

"I feel that way about my mom and dad too."

"Do you ever wish that your biological parents kept you? Or that you never had to be adopted?"

"Yes. And no. I do wish I knew my biological parents, but at the same time, I love my parents now and I wouldn't give them up for anything."

"That's how I feel too."

"Em, if you ever need to talk about this, there's no one who will understand better than me."

"Thanks, Clark. I'll keep that in mind. Now, shall we get to your actual questions?"

"No problem."

* * *

After Clark finished a quite thorough interview with her, he politely said good-bye to Emmeline and her parents and left to head to the Talon to continue helping Lana with the grand opening.

"He's a nice young man," her mother smiled at her as she took away the bowls the two teenagers had used for snacks. "And quite handsome too."

"Mom," Emmeline groaned. "Yes, he is, but he's more interested in Lana than anyone else."

"I thought Lana was dating Whitney."

"She is."

"That's going to come back to bite him if he lets this carry on too far."

"Mom, please. Don't interfere with this."

"Alright, alright, I'll keep out of it."

Emmeline learned early the next morning that a human hand had been shipped to the Talon in a box.

Things just kept getting weirder and more disturbing in Smallville.

At school, she managed to fall into step beside Pete and Chloe, who was grilling Pete about Clark.

"You know Lex Luthor must be mixed up in this somehow," she caught Pete saying.

"Mixed up in what?" Emmeline asked.

"The whole severed hand thing at the Talon."

"Easy," Chloe smiled. "Now, I know you've got issues with the Luthors, but—"

"More than issues. You know what the Luthors did to my family."

"Okay, one piece of investigative information at a time. Now about Clark…"

"Chloe, what do you want from me? In a world full of designer water, Clark Kent is straight from the tap."

"I know, but you've known him the longest. I mean, all I need is just, like, a little anecdote. Just a small piece of information from Clark's deep, dark past."

"Well, there was something back in the first grade."

"Thank you! That's more than I've uncovered in, like, the past two days. Now please, let's continue."

"There was this bully three grades ahead of us. This dude was determined to pound dents into every kid in the school. One day, I guess it was my turn. He was just about to take my head off when Clark jumped between us."

They arrived at the Torch office and Chloe opened the door as the three of them walked in to find Clark printing something out.

"So Clark ran interference," Chloe said. "Now, as kind as that sounds, Pete, I really don't think it falls under the 'something amazing' test."

"What test?" Clark asked.

"I'm not finished," Pete continued. "Clark didn't just push Braindead away. He put him through a door, as in splinters and broken hinges. How he did it, I still have no idea. The guy was at least twice our size."

"Clark, any comments?" Chloe asked.

"Uh, well, we were, you know, six years old," Clark answered nervously. "Twice our size was three feet tall."

"If you need any more ancient history, ask the source," Pete told Chloe. "I've got an appointment at the student store."

"Have fun," Chloe joked. She turned back to Clark as Pete left the office. "And so the mystery that isn't Clark Kent deepens."

"Mystery?" Clark said.

"Yeah. Since you continue to play obstructionist, I've had to find information through other means." She picked up a blue file from her desk. "For instance, I found that your adoption was done through Metropolis United Charities. But this is the strange part. They were only in business for six months and from what I can tell, yours is the only adoption they handled."

"I can't believe you did this, Chloe," Clark said to her hardly.

Her brow furrowed. "You didn't know? I just assumed that your parents would have told you. I mean, weren't you interested?"

"Why would I be? My biological parents are either dead or didn't want me. The point is, you're prying into my private life."

"I was just trying to be thorough," Chloe said quietly.

"This is a class project. I spent an hour yesterday with Em. That's it. That's all I needed. I'm not some mystery for you to solve."

"Clark, I…"

Clark angrily grabbed his things and bolted out of the Torch office.

"Okay, what was that all about?" Chloe asked Emmeline.

"To be honest, Chloe, I know how he feels."

"What are you talking about?"

She took a deep breath and finally said, "I'm adopted too."

"What?" Chloe exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Look, it's not something I like sharing with people. The first time I told anyone in years was Clark because he needed it for the interview. I guess I was just afraid that…I'd lose you as a friend if you found out my parents didn't want me."

"Em, I've been friends with Clark for years and he's adopted. What would make you think I wouldn't want to be your friend anymore?"

Emmeline smiled shyly. "I guess that's the insecure part of me talking."

"The only thing that would make me not be your friend anymore is if you murdered someone. And even then, a meteor freak could be behind it, so I'd need all the facts first."

"Thanks, Chloe. I'm sorry I didn't trust you more. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find Lana. I have to figure out when I can ask her my questions."

"Sure thing."

Emmeline left the Torch office and found Lana putting books away in her locker. "Lana!" she called quietly.

"Hey, Emmeline!" Lana said with a warm smile. "You're the one writing a paper on me, right?"

"Yeah."

"Great! Well, I'm usually at the Talon getting it ready for the opening, so do you think you could come by later this evening and ask your questions then?"

"Yeah, that should be fine."

"Okay, well, I'll see you then!"

That night, Emmeline grabbed her backpack and headed over to the Talon for her interview with Lana. She walked inside and looked around. Lana had certainly really fixed up the place.

"Hey, Emmeline!" Lana called. "Just give me a second. I'll be right with you."

Emmeline sat down on one of the seats and unpacked her supplies. Finally, Lana came over to her and sat down across from her.

"Okay, I'm ready," she smiled.

Emmeline started nervously fumbling with her papers and pencils. "Um…" she stuttered. "Uh…well…"

"Emmeline," Lana said warmly, lightly touching her hand. "It's okay. I promise I won't bite."

Emmeline smiled a little and forced herself to relax. Then she took a look at her questions and prepared to jot down Lana's answers. "Okay, so what kind of things do you do when not in school?"

"I enjoy going out horseback riding, and I like to read all kinds of things, but lately I've spent most of my time fixing up the Talon."

"What made you want to keep this place going?"

"My parents met here. I guess it's just a piece of them to hold on to."

"I wish I had that." When Lana gave her a confused look, she added, "I'm adopted. And I don't really know anything about my real parents."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. It's okay, I like my adoptive parents. I just wish I knew something about them at all. At this point, I wouldn't even care if they were bad people, I just want to know what they were like." She cleared her throat nervously. "Sorry, we're here to talk about you."

"No," Lana said with a smile. "I like this. Normally, I can't get three words out of you. I'm glad you're talking to me."

Emmeline smiled again. Maybe Lana wasn't as bad as she thought.

* * *

The next day, Emmeline was doing some editing in the Torch office when Chloe and Clark walked in, evidently having patched up things from their earlier fight.

"What's up?" she asked.

"As if things weren't strange enough, we have a dead man walking around Smallville," Chloe answered.

"Of course we do…"

Chloe went on her computer while Clark dialed a number on the phone.

"Still no word from Lex," Clark said as he hung up the phone. "No one's spoken to him since this morning."

"Okay, well, I pulled our alleged dead guy's license plate," Chloe explained. "It's registered to John Smith. Very original. He has an address in Metropolis and he does not work for the C.E.P."

"How'd you do that?"

"I hacked into the DMV database. See? Sometimes persistence is a good thing."

"Call Metropolis P.D. Have them go to the address."

"What's going on?"

"I think Lex is in serious trouble."

Clark quickly ran out of the Torch office.

"And there goes Clark Kent to once again save the day," Emmeline laughed.

"My hero," Chloe smiled as she pretended to swoon.

* * *

That night, Chloe and Emmeline got dressed for the grand opening of the Talon. Emmeline was in a casual blue dress with her hair pinned to the side.

Unfortunately, Chloe had to wrap some things up at the Torch so Emmeline was forced to go solo.

Once at the Talon, she nervously walked in, hoping to find someone she knew. Finally, she saw Pete and Clark and walked over to them.

"Hi, guys," she said quietly. They both froze at the sight of her. "Is it too much? I…I didn't exactly know how to dress for something like this."

"No," Pete told her. "You look…amazing."

"Thanks. I don't usually go to these kinds of things."

"There's a first time for everything. Glad you finally decided to take a chance."


	15. Nicodemus

"Wow," Pete said as he, Clark, and Emmeline walked through the halls of school. "Drinking beer, mouthing off, and counter-macking with your mom? Congratulations, Clark. Your dad's regressed back to being a teenager."

"He's been under a lot of stress lately, but I'm seriously wondering if he's beginning to crack," Clark told them. "I mean, who takes a three-hour nap in the middle of the afternoon?"

"Tired people?" Emmeline guessed jokingly.

The two boys smiled at her. "I don't know, but I still like the part where he dissed Lex," Pete laughed.

"Why?" Clark asked. "What do you have against Lex?"

"Hmm, let's see. He screwed my family out of the creamed-corn factory."

"Well, Pete, that was 12 years ago. And it wasn't him, it was his father."

"Still, I've never been crazy about the guy."

"Why haven't you said something before?"

"I was hoping sooner or later you'd see he was bad news."

At that moment, Chloe ran up to the group of friends holding a clipboard in her hand. "What's your deepest desire?" she demanded. "I mean, if nothing was holding you back, what would you guys do?"

"Hello, Chloe, nice to see you too," Clark said sarcastically. "What's up?"

"Principal Kwan thinks that I need to get more in touch with the pulse of the student body. So I've decided to do a poll. Now, if the three of you would please do your statistical duty."

As Pete watched a pretty girl walk by, he answered, "I'd go over and make out with that girl right now."

"You know, every answer I've gotten so far has been either sex- or violence-related."

"Well, that's human nature, Chloe. Later." Pete walked away to go talk to the girl he had been watching.

Emmeline wondered what it was like to be noticed by a guy. One who wasn't a bug freak. Must've been nice.

"Did you know that Pete doesn't like Lex?" Clark asked Chloe.

"Yeah, he's like totally jealous of your friendship with him. He feels like you guys aren't as close as you used to be."

Lana walked up and joined them. "Hey," she smiled.

"Hi." Chloe held up her clipboard so Lana could see the question. "What about you, Lana? Got one?"

"Um…I would climb the windmill down on Chandler's Field."

"Really? That's your deepest desire?"

"Somebody told me you could see the Metropolis skyline from there. I haven't got the guts to climb up and see for myself."

"Okay," Chloe said in surprise as she wrote down Lana's answer.

"I can always make something up."

"No, it's good, it's good. I like it. It's unleashing the inner Lana."

"Okay." Lana smiled and headed up the stairs to her next class.

"Okay, Clark. You're up." The two girls looked at him as he watched Lana leave. "Clark, remember it's a PG-13 poll."

"Ever since Whitney's father's been in the hospital, there's been a no-fly zone over Lana," Clark said.

"You know, Clark, there are other girls out there that don't require crossing an emotional minefield."

"Yeah, but I can't just turn off my feelings for her."

Emmeline sighed quietly. When it came to getting the hints Chloe was dropping him, Clark could not have been more clueless.

"You know, the choice is yours. You can either sit in your loft and play with your telescope, or move on."

Clark looked kind of guilty at her remark, and Emmeline wanted to crack a smile, knowing that Chloe was talking about the two of them.

Chloe turned to her friend. "Alright, Em, what's your deepest desire?"

Emmeline smiled shyly. "I don't know."

"Come on, yes you do."

"I guess…I'd want to go on a high cliff, go to the edge, and scream at the top of my lungs."

"Really?"

"I hardly ever raise my voice above talking level. It'd be a new experience for me."

The three friends smiled at each other and headed off for class.

Later that day, Emmeline got news that Clark's father was admitted to the hospital showing the same symptoms as some guy he'd saved from a severe car crash.

Chloe couldn't resist and pulled Emmeline from her house so they could go investigate.

"Why are we out here?" Emmeline asked as they got out of her car.

"Well, Mr. Kent and Mr. Beels both have the same symptoms. So this is the only place they've been together, so I'm assuming that whatever happened to Mr. Kent was caused by something from out here."

"Am I looking for something in particular?"

"Anything that could help us figure this out." She shined her flashlight over the crash site and looked in the direction where the light was. "Wow, the debris starts from way over there and ends over in that ditch. That's some serious road rage."

She began to take some pictures while Emmeline went over to try to find something that would explain what in the world was going on. A few feet away, she shined her flashlight down on the ground and saw a flower unlike anything she had ever seen before. She knelt down a little and noticed that the flower seemed to be…moving. Suddenly, some kind of dust expelled from the flower making her cough a little.

"Find anything?" Chloe called.

"No," Emmeline answered.

"Yeah, me neither. Let's get out of here. This place is a dead end."

The two girls went back to the car as Emmeline let out a little sneeze from the dust.

* * *

Words couldn't describe the change Emmeline felt when she woke up the next morning. She felt so…bold, extreme, like she could take on the world. She had never felt like this before. And she was loving it.

She decided to don some black tights, some knee-high boots, and a short, form-fitting black skirt and deep red shirt. Then she also caked on some mascara and eyeliner with some deep eye shadow. Then she curled all of her hair into loose ringlets, letting them bounce around her neck. When she walked into school, all eyes were on her, including some from really, really cute guys. So this was what it liked to be noticed by a guy. She soaked it in and headed towards the Torch office.

Chloe must've been in class because only Clark was in the room.

"Hi, Clark," she said seductively. "Heading to class soon?"

"No, I'm not really…" He turned and his eyes widened at the sight of her. "…up to it."

Emmeline smiled and walked into the room. "You like?"

"Uh…it's a change."

She smirked at him. "I guess I'm tired of that shy little girl showing her face. It's time to go big and bold."

Clark nervously cleared his throat. "Uh, Em…are you feeling okay?"

"I've never felt better. Believe me." She ruffled his hair a bit. "What about you?"

"I'm just worried about my dad. He's not doing so hot."

"Well, I've got just the thing that will take your mind off it. Come with me."

Emmeline grabbed Clark's hand and led him to the pool. Smiling, she took off her boots and tights, while Clark nervously looked away, and hopped up onto the diving board.

"Why are we in here?" Clark asked her.

"Because no one else is."

"Yeah, but it's kind of…off-limits."

"My favorite words," she smiled.

"Em…you're really not acting like yourself."

"Exactly. I like it. And I'm getting the feeling that you do too." She did a graceful dive into the pool. When her head came out of the water, she looked at Clark with a smile. "Come on in," she said, motioning him to her with her index finger.

Clark laughed lightly. "That's not a good idea."

Emmeline rolled her eyes and swam over to the ladder. She climbed out of the water and slowly went over to him, letting him get a good look at her wet body. She gently grazed her fingers over his shoulders as she circled around him.

"You're hot, Clark. You could have any girl in this school if you wanted. So why Lana? Why won't you give anyone else a chance?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Lana's taken. You should take a look at some girls who aren't. Like me."

Emmeline took his head in her hands and forcefully kissed him. Clark's eyes widened, but she wouldn't release him from the kiss. Finally, while he was good and distracted, she pulled away and pushed him into the pool with a large splash.

She laughed at him, but when the door started opening, Emmeline booked it out of the pool room before she could get caught.

She went back to the Torch office to grab her things.

"Hey, Em!" Chloe said as she walked into the room. Then she saw her friend's new look. "Whoa, what happened to you? And why are you wet?"

"I was swimming."

"No one's allowed in the pool right now."

"That's what Clark said," Emmeline said with a coy smile as she leaned back against her desk.

"Uh…Clark was with you?"

"Mm-hmm. He's the one who got caught though. I'm sure he'll tell you all about it. Including the part where we kissed."

"You and Clark…kissed?"

"Jealous?"

"Uh, yeah a little. What's your secret?"

"I have a little something you don't. Ambition. I actually go for it with Clark."

"You know, Em, you're not really yourself right now. People don't just change like this overnight."

"I did. And get used to it because I like this change."

Emmeline grabbed her things and took off, leaving Chloe in a state of confusion. She walked down to the Talon and saw Lex's car parked out front. Raising an eyebrow at the nice car, she walked in to find him talking on the phone. With another coy smile, she walked up behind him and snatched the phone away from him before closing it.

"Emmeline," he said with controlled anger. "I was on a very important phone call. I'm trying to figure out what's going on with Mr. Kent."

"Yeah, that's nice," she said dismissively. "What else are you responsible for? I heard that you conned my friend Pete's family out of his factory."

"That was my father."

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"I don't know what's going on, but you're not impressing anyone with the attitude. You're talking to someone who set the bar for adolescent rebellion."

"Good for you. You deserve a medal."

"From what I've seen and heard, you usually don't talk very much. What's going on?"

The smile left Emmeline's face. "Why is everyone questioning why I'm acting this way today?"

A panicked look crossed Lex's face. "Emmeline, where have you been in the last 24 hours?"

"Why do you care?" she asked angrily. "You don't care about me or anyone else for that matter. You want to know why everyone's wondering why I'm acting like this? I'll tell you why. Because they want that shy little girl back who fades into the background. Well, I'm sick of that girl and now I've finally gotten rid of her."

She roughly pushed Lex to the ground, and while he was distracted, she stole his keys from atop the table. With another smile, she hopped into the driver's seat of Lex's Porsche and drove away.

She ended up driving to one of the highest cliffs with a large body of water far beneath it.

"Emmeline!" she heard.

She turned to find Clark running up to her as she approached the edge of the cliff. "Welcome back."

"Does Lex know you have his car?"

"Yes. At least, he does by now."

"Something has happened to you."

"I'm free, Clark! I've finally broken away from that shy girl."

"Em, please, I need to get you to a hospital."

"I don't think so," she said angrily. "I'm not sick. I'm happy for once, and you aren't going to take that away from me." She walked over to the very edge of the cliff and removed her shoes once more. "I'm going for a dive. You'll get to see me all wet again."

"Em, don't do this."

"Why don't you come and save me then? Isn't that all you see me as? A little girl who can't defend herself and always needs saving?"

"You know that's not true."

"Then stop worrying about me."

Suddenly, Emmeline's world turned extremely blurry as everything brightened so much, her head ached. She felt herself losing touch with reality, not knowing which way was up and which way was down. Her legs buckled and she started to fall backwards.

"Em!" Clark screamed. He sped over to her and caught her before she tumbled off the cliff.

"Clark…" she said weakly before everything turned black.

* * *

As the three friends sat together at lunch, the mood was grim since they were one person short. Clark still couldn't get out the image of Emmeline lying unresponsive in a hospital bed out of his head.

"Dr. Hamilton had a copy of this book in his barn," Chloe explained, showing them a very old book.

"The Nicodemus Diary," Clark read.

"It's a first-hand account of Smallville's first mystery. In 1871, the whole settlement went postal before they even had a post office."

"Nice to know Smallville was still whacked before the meteors got here," Pete commented.

"Yeah. In the diary, they talked about a flower. The settlers called it Nicodemus. Said it liberated repressed feelings, sent them into rages, then fever, and finally…"

They all looked at each other grimly, hoping to find some way to fix everything before Emmeline succumbed to this flower's poison as well.

"All right, well, where can we find this flower?" Clark asked.

"Well, see, that's the glitch," Chloe frowned. "After the massacre, the cavalry torched the whole settlement. They wanted to make sure that whatever caused it wasn't gonna spread. The flower's been extinct for over a hundred years."

"Well, what does Hamilton have to do with this? Isn't he a geologist?"

"With a meteor fixation."

"We tracked down this paper he wrote six years ago," Pete told Clark as he handed him to document.

"Metropolis University Press?" Clark asked.

"I think this is the last straw," Chloe said to him. "In it, he postulates that meteor rocks can be used to irradiate dormant plant cells."

"So you think Hamilton pulled a Jurassic Park and brought back the Nicodemus."

"Now he's trying to cover it up," Pete finished.

"Let's go talk to him."

"Wait, there's more," Chloe said as they stood up. "Dr. Hamilton didn't check out the Nicodemus Diary. Lex did."

"You think he's involved?"

"I told you all along he was bad news," Pete said.

"Pete, we don't know anything yet."

"Whatever," Chloe said. "Pete and I are going to go see Em at the hospital, then we'll go over to Hamilton's place."

The two of them went to Metropolis General and walked into Emmeline's room.

"Now I know how she felt when I got tossed out the window," Chloe murmured. "I'm going to grab a coffee real quick. Want one?"

"No thanks."

Chloe left the room and Pete went to Emmeline's bedside. Taking one of her hands in his, he looked at her still face.

"I always thought you were one of the most beautiful girls I've ever laid eyes on," he said quietly. "You have to pull through this for all of us."

Chloe came back into the room and Pete quickly released her hand as she sat on the other side of the bed.

Chloe stayed by Emmeline's bedside nearly all night…after Pete got infected and went after Lex. Luckily, Clark once again managed to stop him and save Lex.

Emmeline's eyes slowly opened and saw Chloe asleep next to her, clutching her hand. "Chloe?"

Chloe's eyes slowly opened and she gasped and hugged her friend. "You're alright!"

"What happened? Why am I in the hospital?"

"You don't remember anything?"

"Um…I remember searching for something on the road and going to sleep that night, but everything after that…"

"You were infected with a flower called the Nicodemus. It made you go kind of…crazy."

"Define crazy."

"Well…I do know that you kissed Clark."

"I did what?!"

"Looks like both of us have a kiss we don't remember."

"Talk about unfair. I guess that makes us even."

"It's good to have you back."

* * *

Once Emmeline was discharged from the hospital, Clark took her on a drive, saying he had a surprise for her. He ended up taking her to the same cliff she had gone to when she had lost it and nearly got herself killed, but she didn't need to know that part.

"What are we doing here?" Emmeline asked as they got out of his truck.

"Well…the last couple of days kind of put things into perspective. You nearly died, and you didn't get to fulfill your deepest desire yet."

Emmeline smiled shyly as she realized why he had brought her to the cliff. "I don't think I can do this."

"Sure you can. We'll do it together."

He extended his hand and she slowly took it. They stepped to the very edge of the cliff and looked at the water down below.

"Oh, my," she breathed. "That's very high."

"Look up to the sky," Clark smiled.

She did so and took a deep breath.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I think so."

For the first time, Emmeline screamed her heart out and they listened as their screams and yells echoed into the crisp air.


	16. Stray

"So Spring Formal is coming up," Emmeline said to Chloe as they worked on the latest issue of the Torch.

"Your point being?" Chloe asked, even though she was fully aware of what she was getting at.

"Think Clark will ask one of us?"

"If he can't ask Lana, maybe."

"Oh, great, so we're just his second choice?"

"I've kind of gotten used to it."

At that moment, Clark walked in, forcing the girls to abandon their current conversation. He was followed by a young boy who was probably around thirteen if not a couple years older.

"Hey, who's this?" Chloe smiled.

"Ryan, these are my good friends, Chloe and Emmeline."

Clark motioned the two girls over to him while Ryan pulled out a comic to read.

"His name's Ryan," Clark told them. "My mom accidently hit him on the road a couple nights ago, and he's staying at my house for right now. He has amnesia and can't remember anything except who he is."

"Wow," Chloe said, walking over to Ryan. "You're like a modern-day Kaspar Hauser."

"Who's that?" Ryan asked.

"Don't worry. Chloe's the queen of obscure and irrelevant references," Clark smiled.

"He's a kid from the 19th century with amnesia," Chloe explained. "He showed up in a German town one day without a memory of who he was. All he could remember was his name. How's that for irrelevant?" she finished looking pointedly at Clark.

"What happened to him?" Ryan said as he hopped up onto her desk.

"Well, his story spread throughout Europe and people came from all over to see if he was their missing child. Some people even thought he was the lost son of the Grand Duke."

"Did he ever find his parents?"

"You know…" Chloe stopped and her face changed as she remembered the rest of the story. "Yeah, he did," she finally said. "Um, he found his parents and they lived happily ever after."

Ryan looked at her. "Why didn't you just say he was murdered?"

Chloe's brow furrowed. "How'd you…know that?"

"You know, why don't we take that picture?" Clark said, trying to get off the awkward subject.

"What picture?" Ryan asked. "You're not putting me on that freak wall, are you?"

Emmeline smiled as Chloe took out her camera and snapped Ryan's picture. "It's called the Wall of Weird, and no. This picture's just to check against missing persons." She checked at the picture then looked up at Clark. "Okay, I'm gonna go download this. I'll be there in a sec."

She went over to her computer as Clark took a seat next to Ryan.

"She likes you," Ryan said quietly to Clark.

Emmeline's eyes widened. How did Ryan know that Chloe liked Clark when Clark himself couldn't see it? Did Ryan know that she liked him too?

"Yeah, we're friends," Clark answered blindly.

"She wants to be more than just friends. I think she wants you to ask her to the prom."

Okay, he was getting too far now. She just couldn't understand how he was picking up on all this. She wanted to say something, but her shyness still wasn't completely gone. She was only okay around mainly Clark, Pete, and Chloe. She wasn't even completely comfortable around Lana yet.

"Chloe? Yeah, right."

"No, really. She already picked out a dress. It's pink."

"Ryan, you just met Chloe and she hates dresses and she's not exactly the prom type."

"Well, maybe she has a romantic side you never knew about."

"Or maybe my mom hit you harder than I thought."

Chloe walked back over to them. "Let's get a picture of my boys." She snapped a couple more pictures of Ryan and Clark.

"Alright," Clark said when she finished. "We're gonna head over to the Talon."

"Oh, I'll come too," Emmeline said. "I have to ask Lana a homework question. I'll grab us a couple coffees while I'm at it."

"Sounds good!" Chloe smiled.

The three of them headed over to the Talon while Chloe hung back to keep working.

"Hey, Lana!" Clark called. Lana came over to them with a tray in her hand. "I wanted you to meet Ryan. Ryan, this is Lana."

"Nice to meet you," Lana smiled, shaking his hand with her free one.

"Why don't you take a seat, and figure out what you want?"

Ryan nodded and took out a comic book before sitting in one of the chairs.

"So, how does it feel having a little brother type figure in your life?" Lana asked Clark.

"It's pretty cool."

"I always dreamed of having a brother or sister. You know, someone to talk to, help fill the silence."

"Someone you could totally trust and would always be there for you?"

"It's just how I see you, Clark."

Emmeline smiled, as Clark just got completely friend-zoned by Lana.

"Thanks," Clark said, obviously struggling with that answer. That was not what he wanted to hear.

Clark walked back over to Ryan, who was talking to Lex.

"Hey, Lana," Emmeline said. "I had a question. You know that assignment we have for History? I missed class the other day because I was doing stuff for the Torch, so could I borrow your notes? I tried to at least start the assignment, but I'm completely lost."

"Sure thing! I can give them to you in first period tomorrow morning."

"That's perfect. You're a lifesaver."

"No problem. What were you doing that made you miss class?"

"We were having computer problems and the issue was going to be late unless we worked through class."

"I've got to hand it to you that you and Chloe have some serious dedication." Someone motioned Lana over. "I'll be right back."

"It's okay, take your time."

Emmeline looked over at Ryan and noticed that he had a scared look on his face. He turned around and she noticed a strange man smirking at him. She immediately felt extremely uncomfortable just looking at him. He looked like the very definition of mean and cruel.

Ryan quickly turned back around then ran out the back door, the man pursuing him closely.

Emmeline frantically looked around for Clark. Finally, he came back to the bar. "Clark!" she exclaimed running up to him.

"Where's Ryan?" he asked.

"He just took out the back. He looked scared too. I think someone was after him."

Clark's eyes widened and he quickly took off out the back door.

It took a few minutes, but the two boys eventually came back into the shop. Ryan looked frazzled, but at the same time, he also looked like he had just found a new best friend. It was the same look Emmeline had on her face after she realized she had a friend in Chloe. She couldn't help but smile at the two boys and their innocent friendship.

* * *

The next day, Clark grabbed Emmeline and Chloe and they went out to the road to try to find something that would help figure out what was going on with Ryan.

"My mom hit him somewhere around here," Clark explained. "Thanks for helping with the clue hunt."

"And help solve the riddle of Ryan? It's my pleasure," Chloe said.

"It really is a riddle. I'm starting to think he may not have amnesia."

"Clark, the kid adores you. Why would he lie?"

"Because he's running from somebody."

"It makes sense," Emmeline threw in. "I'm pretty sure I saw someone go after him yesterday at the Talon. He looked so scary too. I wouldn't be surprised if little kids cried at the sight of him."

"I found something," Chloe said from the ditch. She came up and showed them a bookbag and they started going through it. "We got comic books and Twizzlers. Something every growing boy needs."

Clark looked at the bag for a second, then pulled a photo out of a secret compartment. When he saw Emmeline and Chloe looking at him, he said, "What? That's where I would hide something."

"If you were a CIA operative," Chloe answered sarcastically. She looked at the picture Clark had found. It looked fairly recent. A middle-aged woman was hugging Ryan. "Who do you think it is?"

"I don't know. Mom, aunt?"

"The mystery deepens. I still can't figure out how he knew that Kaspar Hauser was murdered."

"Well, for a reporter, you had one of the worst poker faces I've ever seen," Emmeline said.

"She's not lying," Clark smiled. "But you're right, Ryan does say weird things. I mean, he even said that you wanted me to ask you to prom and that you'd already bought a dress."

Emmeline looked at Chloe as they stopped walking. This was something she really wished hadn't been brought back up.

"It's not pink, is it?" Clark asked, noticing both of their expressions.

"Uh…" Chloe stuttered. "Okay, I-I, you know, I was just looking at it. It's not like I actually bought it."

"How would Ryan know that?"

"I don't know," Chloe groaned as they walked back to the car. "Maybe he's an alien or maybe he called Miss Cleo. You know, I don't know."

When Chloe and Emmeline were alone, Chloe quickly grabbed her. "Why didn't you tell me Ryan told Clark I wanted him to ask me to the dance?"

"Sorry!" Emmeline apologized. "I was hoping he would just forget about it."

"Well, he didn't and now I look like an idiot."

"Think of this as a good thing, Chloe. Maybe now Clark will finally ask you."

"Not now that he thinks I'm desperate!"

"Okay, calm down. You don't know that he won't ask you. I'm going to go see Ryan. He closes himself off from the world, and I understand that more than anyone. I just want to talk to him."

"Suit yourself. I'll see if I can do some more digging about him and find out what's going on."

Emmeline headed over to Clark's house, assuming that Ryan would be there.

"Hello?" she called through the screen door.

"Hi, Emmeline!" Martha called. "Come on in!" Emmeline smiled and walked in. "Clark isn't here. He's out doing some errands."

"I actually wanted to see Ryan. Is he here?"

"Yeah, he's in the loft. You can go on out."

"Thanks, Mrs. Kent!" Emmeline went back out and headed to the barn where Clark spent all his time. "Ryan?" she called.

"Who is it?" a voice from above called back.

"It's just me, Emmeline," she said as she walked up the stairs.

"What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to talk."

"About what?"

"Well…I wanted to talk with someone who knows what it's like to close yourself off from everyone."

"From what I've seen, you're not closed off."

"You've only seen a part of me. You should've seen me before I met Clark and Chloe. I hardly ever talked or even looked at anyone."

"You too?"

She nodded. "I told you, I know what it's like. We both retreat into reading to escape from that world. You read _Warrior Angel_ , I read fantasy novels."

"Why fantasy novels?"

"Why _Warrior Angel_?"

"Because he saves and protects people."

"Like Batman?"

Ryan laughed. "Kind of."

Emmeline smiled. "I got you to laugh. I wish you smiled more, Ryan. You have a nice smile."

"Thanks. So why do you read fantasy stuff?"

"Because it allows me to go to a world where everything's different. A world where there are made-up places, dashing heroes, and magic."

"You want a knight-in-shining-armor?"

"It's a dream, but one I don't think is going to happen any time soon."

"Anyone in particular?"

Emmeline paused a bit before answering. "I might have someone in mind."

"Is it Clark?"

"Excuse me?"

"I can see the way you look at him. You and Chloe both like him, right?"

Seeing no point in denying it, she said to him, "Have you seen Clark? He's basically the perfect guy. He's good-looking, he's smart, he's nice, he's always there for you, I'm surprised he doesn't have every girl in the school fawning over him."

"Aren't you and Chloe best friends? What's going to happen if he chooses one of you?"

"We already made a deal a while back. We will not let him come between us as friends, and if he chooses one of us, then the other has sworn to be happy for her."

"But you secretly want him to choose you?"

"Right now, Chloe has liked him for a lot longer than I have, and she wants to go to the formal with Clark so bad that I kind of want them to go together. She deserves it."

There was a pause before Ryan asked, "How come you're adopted?"

"How did you know I was adopted?"

"I know the face of someone who is."

"Okay, well, I don't know. I don't really know anything about my real parents."

"Me neither."

"Ryan? I know you're a few years younger than me, but I don't think I've ever felt so comfortable around someone I just met."

"Same for me. I mean, I'm comfortable with Clark and all, but…with you, I feel like I'm not alone."

Emmeline smiled and hugged him. "Me too."

* * *

Emmeline stayed at the Kents for dinner, not wanting to leave Ryan just yet. She felt like he understood her more than anyone she had ever met. She'd be sad to see him leave.

That time ended up being sooner than she expected. Ryan went to answer the door, and when she and the Kents went to go see who it was, they found a woman talking with him.

"Ah, so you must be Ryan," she said with a pleasant smile.

"Can I help you?" Jonathon asked.

"Mr. Kent. Child Services. I'm here to pick up Ryan."

"Well, you're a little early, aren't you? We weren't expecting you for an hour."

"We can't thank you enough for taking Ryan in."

"It's our pleasure," Martha said. "He's welcome to stay longer."

"Oh, I'm afraid that's impossible. I need to put him in foster care. That's the law."

"Well, let's get your stuff."

As Martha and Emmeline helped him get his things, she couldn't help but notice that something seemed…off. Ryan looked scared to death and she could see moisture slowly building up in his eyes. And this woman seemed too eager to whisk Ryan away, and she thought for sure that she looked kind of nervous.

"Ready to go?" the woman asked when the three of them came back.

"Oh, could he wait and say goodbye to our son Clark?" Martha asked. "He'll be home any minute."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Mrs. Kent," Ryan said sadly. "Just tell him thanks."

"If you need anything just call us, okay?"

Martha hugged him tightly and he lingered in her embrace for as long as he could. Then he came over to Emmeline.

Her heart broke when she saw that tears were threatening to spill from his eyes at any second. She hugged him even tighter than Martha and didn't release from the hug for a while.

"Take care, Ryan. You're a good kid. I'm glad I met you."

"You too, Em."

Emmeline looked at him for a second. No one called her Em except Clark, Chloe, and Pete. Her own parents didn't even call her Em.

"Thanks for everything."

Ryan left with the woman as Emmeline wished she knew for sure what he seemed so scared about.

Clark came home not long after and saw his dad and Emmeline outside. "Dad? Em? What's wrong?"

"Child Services came and took Ryan away about 15 minutes ago," Jonathon answered sadly.

"What? Why didn't he wait for me? I wanted to say goodbye."

"I don't know, son. They said they were in a hurry. I'm sorry."

Jonathon left and Emmeline looked up at Clark's sad face. "Clark?" she said. "I may be wrong, but I think something was up with the whole Child Services thing."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, the woman seemed in too much of a hurry, and Ryan looked like he knew her. And he looked really scared of her."

"You think she knows him?"

"I'm not sure. I don't want to start something up when I don't know everything, but I'm telling you, it was strange."

They both turned at the sound of crunching gravel to find Lex's limo pulling in. He got out of the car and looked at Clark.

"On your way to Metropolis?" Clark asked.

"Yeah. The big dinner. I, uh, I wanted you to have something." He handed Clark some kind of weapon.

"A sword?"

"It's a foil, Clark. Every hero should have one."

"I guess this means you've decided you're leaving."

"I haven't made up my mind one way or the other."

"If you haven't made up your mind, why are you giving me a going-away present?"

"Keep that away from the kid."

"He's already gone."

"I'm sorry. I know how much you liked him."

"For what it's worth, I hope you stay."

Lex got back into his limo and his chauffeur turned around. Emmeline's heartbeat increased dramatically. She knew that face. There was no way she could forget it.

She watched the limo pull away, then Clark went into the loft.

"Clark!" she called. "I…I think I know Lex's driver. He was the guy I saw chasing Ryan at the Talon."

"Are you sure, Em?"

"I'm pretty sure. I can't forget that face. He just looks so…mean."

"How do you know he was chasing Ryan?"

"He just happened to follow him out the back door while Ryan looked totally freaked? It's more than a coincidence."

"Why would he be chasing him in the first place? And if he was chasing Ryan, why is he now Lex's limo driver?"

"I…I don't know, Clark. I told you, everything's just been really weird tonight."

At that moment, Chloe came up to the loft. "Hey, Zorro, what's with the sword?"

"It's a foil," Clark answered.

"I'm guessing it's a gift from out favorite millionaire playboy."

"He's thinking of moving back to Metropolis."

"Well, I'm still here, Clark. Em and I aren't going anywhere."

Emmeline looked at Chloe with raised eyebrows. She didn't need Ryan's help to be so obvious when it came to the fact that she liked him.

"Um, sources at the sheriff's office have given me a heads-up on Ryan's step-dad."

"You have sources?" Clark asked.

"Yeah. A cute officer in traffic. I talk my way out of a speeding ticket, he told me I was plucky. Maybe I'll ask him to prom."

Emmeline quietly laughed to herself. Chloe was trying a bit too hard.

"Um, so Ryan's step-dad is a real catch. He's a career criminal." She handed Clark a mugshot of him and Clark's eyes went wide.

"You were right, Em. This is Lex's limo driver."

"If that's the case, that woman has to be his wife. Go, Clark! Find him!"

Clark took off to go find the boy he loved like a little brother.

* * *

The phone rang at Emmeline's house really late at night.

"Hello?" she answered urgently into the phone.

"Em?" Clark's voice said. "Ryan's okay."

Emmeline breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Clark. I'm glad he's safe."

Early in the morning, the doorbell to Emmeline's house rang. She went over to answer it and there stood Ryan and Clark. Emmeline quickly pulled Ryan into a fierce hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said to him.

"Em, I can't breathe."

"Sorry! Sorry." She let go of him and smiled. "What's the plan now?"

"Chloe tracked down an aunt in Edge City," Clark answered.

"So, you're go to go live with her?"

"Yeah," Ryan smiled. It was nice to see that smile again. "I came to say good-bye."

"I'm so glad I got to meet you. If you ever want to talk about anything, please just give me a call."

"I will."

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Don't move! I've got something for you." Emmeline ran up to her room, and came back down carrying a book which she handed to him. "This is my favorite fantasy novel. For those times when you want to escape from this world…and _be_ the knight-in-shining-armor."

Ryan looked at the book and then hugged her again. "Thanks so much, Em. I'll see you around."

"Bye, Ryan."

As Emmeline watched him leave her porch, she let out a deep breath. While she was sad to see him go, she would always treasure the few moments she got to spend with someone who knew just what her life was like.


	17. Reaper

In the time since the meteor shower, Emmeline had seen a lot of strange things, even more so once she became best friends with Chloe.

Today was no exception.

"Hey, Em," Chloe said as she and Pete walked up to her in the courtyard at school.

"What's up?"

"You know that old folks home not far from here? Apparently, a woman died there last night."

"Well, that's not unusual, is it?"

"Not until you hear the facts surrounding it."

"Like what?"

Chloe didn't have time to answer as Clark came running up to join them. "Chloe! I just got your note. I can't believe it. I just saw Mrs. Sikes yesterday."

"I know. I'm sorry, Clark," Chloe said to him.

"What happened?"

"Well, the official story is that there was some sort of a fire, but all they found were her ashes."

"And the unofficial?"

"Spontaneous combustion."

"She thinks the old lady just burst into flames," Pete said.

Chloe pulled up an article and started reading from it. "'October, 1978. Joyce Maslow was dancing in a disco in Elizabeth, New Jersey when flames burst from her head and back enveloping her. In seconds, she was a human torch, consumed before the eyes of her horrified boyfriend'."

"You don't have to look so happy about it," Clark told the smiling Chloe.

"I'm not happy, I'm intrigued."

"Which means you're still gonna look into it," Pete said as he looked at the article.

"Am I that transparent?"

"Yes," all three of them said together.

Chloe and Pete walked off, but Clark hung back, and Emmeline looked at him. "Clark, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said, the tone of his voice suggesting just the opposite.

"Come on, Clark, you know you can talk to me," she smiled as they started to walk to class.

"It's my dad. We're having sort of an argument."

"What about, if you don't mind my asking?"

"We go fishing every year as a father/son thing, but I don't want to go. And when I told him that…it didn't exactly go over well."

"Well, how did you tell him?"

Clark looked at her sheepishly. "I may have lost my temper and yelled that I didn't even like fishing and I only went to make him happy."

"Well, there's your first problem. Look, I don't know too much about your parents, but I do know that you have one of the best relationships with your dad that I've ever seen. Don't waste it on some petty disagreement."

"You sound like my mother."

"Good. That means I know what I'm saying."

Clark smiled at her and they both headed off to class.

Later that day, Chloe was doing some research into the whole Mrs. Sikes thing while Emmeline proofread over the latest issue.

"I got something!" Chloe exclaimed. "Come on, I'll explain everything once we find Clark!"

The two of them roamed the school until they finally found him walking away from the basketball courts.

"Clark!" Chloe called. "We've been looking all over for you. Look what I found in the Daily Planet." She handed him another article.

"'Body Disappears From Metropolis Morgue'?" he read.

"Yeah, but look at the photo. The coroner's body was disintegrated into ash."

"Just like Mrs. Sikes."

"I don't know, but it sure would be nice to check out that house for ourselves."

Clark nodded, and that's how they found themselves at Mrs. Sikes's house checking out what exactly happened. Chloe started taking pictures of the bed that had the outline of a body on it left from the ash.

"You know, this is a crime scene," Clark said nervously.

"So?" Chloe smirked.

Emmeline rolled her eyes. Chloe's fearless attitude was going to get her in a lot of trouble one of these days. Yet at the same time, she couldn't help but wish she had a piece of that.

She walked around the bed and looked at the other possessions. "Well, there's no other sign of fire damage anywhere, so you might want to dial back on that spontaneous combustion skepticism."

"No barking," Clark commented.

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Pepper."

"Who's Pepper?"

"Mrs. Sikes's dog. She turned into a barking machine anytime someone came over. Pepper? Come here, girl!"

"Well, animal shelter probably came and got her."

Clark looked around and then went over to the curtain. When he pulled it back there was a pile of ash. "Oh, no."

"Oh, don't tell me that's Pepper," Chloe grimaced. She walked over and took a couple pictures.

Clark then walked over to her bedside table. There sat a gorgeous white rose, but from the way he was looking at it, it was apparent he saw more than just a rose.

"What happened may have been combustion, but I have a feeling it wasn't spontaneous," Clark said.

"You can tell that from a rose?" Emmeline asked.

"It's complicated. I have to go."

As Clark ran out, Emmeline turned to Chloe. "I don't think I'll ever fully understand him."

* * *

That night, Chloe was busy in the Torch office doing more research on the whole spontaneous combustion theory.

"Find anything?" Emmeline asked as she put down her things. "Hope you didn't call us in for nothing."

"Yeah, that autopsy? It was done on a Tyler Randall. He works at Mobile Meals. Well…worked."

"Oh, yeah, I heard about what happened to Clark's mom. I'm glad she's alright."

"Same. Smallville would never be the same without Mrs. Kent."

At that moment, Pete walked into the room with Clark.

"Oh, hey!" Chloe said. "I've got something to show you." She clicked some keys on her computer and pulled up several pictures. The last one showed Tyler's arm bent back at a scary angle.

"Oh, that's disgusting!" Pete remarked.

"I guess I should have mentioned the 'may not be suitable for all ages' disclaimer. Your friend Tyler's been busy."

"What do you mean busy?" Clark asked.

"I mean 'he tried to kill his mother, rose from the dead, and escaped from the morgue' busy. My buddy Chad works weekends for the M.E. He zip-filed the toxicology report. Besides the fatal amount of pain killers, they also found fragments of an unknown green stone embedded in his skin."

"Meteor rocks," Pete and Emmeline put together at the same time. They awkwardly smiled at each other for a second.

"Yep," Chloe answered looking at both of them.

"If that's the case, why aren't all the dead bodies in Smallville rising from their graves?" Clark asked.

"I think it's the lethal combo of painkillers and meteor rocks that caused Tyler to pull a 'Thriller'."

"Wait a minute. Didn't you say Tyler tried to kill his mother?"

"Tried and failed. His mother recovered enough to be sent home."

Lana suddenly came running into the room looking really freaked out. "Clark, I just left Tyler in the graveyard," she said breathlessly.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked, quickly going over to her.

"He heard Whitney talking about his father. He said that he could bring him peace."

"Did you call the police?" Lana nodded and Clark immediately bolted out the door. "Where are you going?" She turned to Chloe, Pete, and Emmeline for an answer.

"Don't look at me," Chloe said. "He does that all the time."

"Several times in the last month alone," Emmeline added.

Chloe hung back at the Torch to wrap up everything while Lana went home and Pete and Emmeline headed out as well.

"Hey, Em," Pete said. "While we wait to see what heroic thing Clark did next, you wanna go grab a coffee?"

Emmeline smiled broadly. "I would love to."


	18. Drone

The idea of running in the class election made Emmeline want to hurl. But she would always be there to vote and support those running. That's just what she and Chloe were doing for the Torch that day.

"Hey, Sasha, say something presidential," Chloe said to the girl as she walked around with her camera.

"Whoa, Chloe, slow down," Sasha answered, fixing her glasses nervously. "The election hasn't even started yet."

Sasha walked away, so Chloe and Emmeline went over to sit next to Pete.

"What do you think Sasha's chances are?" Chloe asked Pete.

"Well, she knows the most of our student government, she's worked her way up, she's on a ton of committees, but she's more of a worker than a leader."

Chloe looked over at one of the other candidates. "What about Paul?"

"Well, he's certainly the most qualified, but elections aren't about merit, they're about popularity." Pete looked over at a blonde girl with a posse behind her. "Which brings us to Felice. Head cheerleader and president of the drama club. That definitely gives her an edge, not to mention that she's also really hot."

Chloe and Emmeline rolled their eyes. Boys.

"Yeah, but her name rhymes with a French word for luggage," Chloe said.

"Okay, glad to see you're not reaching for reasons to hate her," Pete laughed.

Felice came up to the group, acting like she owned the world. Emmeline took notice that her shirt was well above her midriff and her skirt was way too short.

"I saw you taking Sasha's picture," she said to Chloe. "Why haven't you taken mine? That qualifies as bias."

Chloe smiled through her teeth at her. "For the record, Em and I plan on running photos and bios of all the candidates. Including you, Felice."

Paul walked up and joined them as well. "Hey, Chloe? What about the editorial? You can only endorse one candidate. So who's it gonna be?"

"Who cares?" Felice said before Chloe could answer. "No matter what she says, people are gonna vote for me."

"Never underestimate the need for the clinically ambitious to pad their resumes," Chloe smiled.

Paul and Emmeline laughed and Felice frowned as she got up in his face. "If you want to avoid the pain and humiliation of losing, drop out now."

She walked away leaving the others to stare after her. This was one of the biggest reasons Emmeline hated elections.

* * *

The next day, Chloe ran an early edition of the Torch detailing how Paul was in the hospital due to being attacked by a swarm of bees.

"That's got to be my all-time worst nightmare," Pete said as the four of them walked down the hall. "I get stung by one bee, I swell up like a grapefruit, but over a hundred?"

"The question is, how'd they get into Paul's bathroom?" Clark asked.

"Well, the Center for Environmental Protection is sending out a team from Metropolis to investigate," Chloe told them.

"Guess that's really gonna shake up our class election," Pete remarked.

"Not really. I mean, Paul's name is still on the ballot. He wouldn't have to take off until the fall, so he could recover by then."

"Out of sight, out of mind. My call, he gets a few sympathy votes, but that's about it."

"Nice to see the softer side of Pete," Clark said sarcastically.

"Seriously," Chloe laughed.

"Anyway," Pete continued. "There's a new candidate on the horizon who I think is gonna really make things interesting."

"Oh yeah? Who's that?"

They walked around the corner and saw a banner that read "Clark Kent for President".

"What have you done?" Clark asked Pete with a panicked tone.

"I see a big future ahead of you in politics, Clark," Pete told him excitedly. "You're straight forward, people like you."

"Unh-unh. No way. Definitely not."

"Clark, you've got the whole package. Looks, brains, and that whole 'farm boy' charm. Did I mention the perks of power?"

"You know, if it was such a great gig, why didn't you run?"

"I know my strengths. I'm more the power behind the throne, the guy behind the guy. The one who makes it all happen."

"Pete Ross, the King Maker," Chloe commented as she continued to laugh.

"Exactly. All you have to do is show up, shake a couple of hands, give an election speech. It's easy."

"And we wonder why our politicians aren't great leaders."

Pete got everyone to start clapping and chanting Clark's name. Emmeline looked at Chloe with a smile and the two of them laughed together before heading to class. Clark Kent as class president? Maybe, but probably not.

Later that day, Clark met up with the two of them again in the hallway and Clark still looked less than pleased about Pete's decision.

"I can't believe Pete did this."

Chloe laughed again. "I know. Some men are born to greatness, others are dragged into it kicking and screaming."

"Clark, what's going on? Why are you running?" a voice said. They turned to find Sasha standing there looking more than furious. "You've never shown any interest in student government."

"Don't worry, it's just a gag. Pete nominated me," he told her.

"So you're going to take your name off the ballot."

"Yeah."

"Well, good. 'Cause this election is way too important to turn into a joke. It's bad enough with Felice."

"I hear she's throwing a pre-election bash with a band and catering," Chloe said.

Sasha frowned. "She's trying to buy this election like one of her Prada bags!" She stormed off again and the three of them looked at each other with surprised faces.

"Talk about tightly wound," Chloe remarked.

Clark turned to the both of them. "Chloe, not that I'm planning to, but if I ran, do you think I'd have a shot?"

"Yeah. Right after I'm elected head cheerleader."

She walked off to class so Clark turned to Emmeline. "Em, what do you think?"

Emmeline paused. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I mean, you're one of the nicest guys in school and I think you have the potential to be a leader. But I'm not sure how everyone else will feel. I'd vote for you though."

"Do you think I should run?"

"I think that you should do what you feel is best."

* * *

The next day, posters with Clark's newest slogan, "The Man of Tomorrow", sprinkled the hallways. Chloe and Emmeline looked at each other. So much for pulling out.

"Clark Kent, 'The Man of Tomorrow'," Chloe smiled as she came over to Clark's table where he was setting up his campaign items. "Kind of presumptuous, don't you think?"

"I like it," he said.

"I thought you were bagging this whole election."

"I had a change of heart."

Lana walked up to Clark and joined them. "'The Man of Tomorrow'. Very catchy," she smiled.

"Thank you. And thank you for the encouragement," he said looking over at Chloe.

"You've got my vote."

Chloe and Emmeline looked at each other and discreetly rolled their eyes. Lana again, ruining their chances with Clark.

"I was thinking maybe I could have my election rally at the Talon, help bring people by," Clark said to Lana.

"That sounds great. You know where to find me."

"Bye, Lana," Chloe and Emmeline said.

"Bye."

Chloe looked back at Clark. "You're running because of Lana. Why am I not surprised?"

"No, I'm running because I think I can do a good job," Clark shot back.

"All right, Clark. Whatever."

"Hey, you know, Pete and Em have faith in me, and so does Lana. It's interesting that you don't."

"I just want to know what you stand for."

"I stand for truth, justice, and…other stuff."

"Okay, well, you want to be more specific? Like, tell me where you stand on the issues."

"What issues do you want to talk about?"

"Well, for starters, there's the plan to cut the arts budget," she started. Clark began to answer, but before he could, she continued with her tirade, "there's the appalling nutritional value of the cafeteria meals, the whole dress code debate, oh yeah, and not to mention that whole student privacy issues with the locker searches."

"Whoa, slow down. I just decided to run last night."

"Okay, well, I think the Man of Tomorrow needs to get a platform for today." Chloe started heading to the Torch office.

"She has a point," Emmeline said to Clark. "People are going to want to know what your opinion on all that stuff is."

"You're the one who encouraged me to run."

"I told you that you should do whatever you think is best. You wanna run, fine, but you need to pick a stance on everything too."

Emmeline left and went to go join Chloe.

"Hey, have you thought about who we should endorse in the campaign?" Chloe asked her.

"Well, I know we both want Clark to win…but I think you're right. He still needs to find out where he stands and get a better platform."

"In that case, think we should go with Paul?"

"I think he's probably the best candidate."

"Clark is going to be really angry at us."

"Clark will eventually get over it. I've seen him. He can't stay mad at anyone."

The two girls started going over the latest issue and printing everything out. Clark came in a couple hours later.

"Guys, any chance you could help us hang some posters? Pete's convinced he puts my name on enough wall space, I'm guaranteed to win."

"Besides needing to remain an impartial member of the fourth estate, I'm still working on my bee story," Chloe told him.

"C.E.P. find anything new?"

"Just that the swarms didn't migrate from any of the usual places. The bee keepers from all over the state have found their hives empty. It's like the colonies just up and left."

"That's weird. Bees are notorious followers. They wouldn't desert their hive without a good reason." Chloe and Emmeline looked at him. "My mom's addicted to Discovery Channel," he added sheepishly.

"So how goes the platform?"

"I haven't started working on it yet. I've been so busy meeting new people, I even got invited to parties this weekend."

"I can't believe it only took one day for you to be compromised by the lure of popularity."

"Remind me to pull your funding after I'm elected." The two girls laughed, but their smiles disappeared by what he said next. "Speaking of which, where's the latest edition?" He walked over and picked up a file where they were keeping the papers for the next issue.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Chloe begged as the two of them ran over to him. "Em isn't done proofing it yet. Clark, I really don't think you should be looking at it just yet. It's not even done!"

"Come on, I've been correcting your comma issues since your first laptop." He opened the file and saw the story they had written about Paul. He furiously turned to both of them. "You both endorsed Paul?"

"Clark, we had to be objective," Chloe admitted. "Paul's still in the race, and he'll be back on his feet again by fall. It's great that you're all gun-ho and slogan-y now, but the truth is the only reason you ran is because Pete suckered you into it. Paul has a clear stance on issues you have yet to articulate. It's nothing personal."

"No, I understand, Chloe." He slammed the file down and stormed out of the office.

"Well that didn't go over well," Emmeline said quietly. That had been a lot worse than she had expected. She may have gotten over a lot of her shyness, but confrontation still didn't go over well with her. Especially when it was with one of her friends.

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline met up before lunch the next day and took a deep breath. Then they walked over to where Clark and Pete were sitting.

"Hey," Chloe said, as they both noticed the boys' icy glares.

"Hey," Clark answered shortly not looking at her.

Chloe's smile left her face at her friends' cold attitude towards her. "How's it going?" she finally asked.

"Just answer 'no comment'," Pete said. "That way they can't misquote you."

Emmeline's heart sank and she felt tears coming to her eyes against her will. She had never gotten into a fight with Clark and Pete before. They always got along. But now…

Before anyone said anything else, she hugged her books close to her chest and ran off.

"Em!" Chloe called. She looked back at the two boys. "Okay, you can be mad at me, but Em hasn't done a single thing to ever make anyone even the slightest bit angry. We've all worked really hard to get her to come out of her shell, and she finally has. Don't screw that up just because you're upset we decided not to endorse you."

Clark and Pete looked at her guiltily. "Did you hear about Felice?" Clark asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Yeah, I was just at the medical center. She was stung way worse than Paul. She's in a coma."

"Two candidates attacked in a week," Pete said. "That's a pretty freaky coincidence."

"I think we've moved past coincidence," Clark told him.

"What do you think is going on?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know, but remember last year, Sasha's accident when she was stung by a whole hive of bees?"

"You think because of that, she's somehow controlling them?"

The bell rang so they stood up to get to class. "It's a theory."

"Yeah, by several leaps and bounds, but I'll look into it. In the meantime, watch your back."

* * *

The next day, Chloe found Emmeline in the hallways looking really upset.

"Hey, Em!" she called as she went over to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Emmeline said.

"I know Clark and Pete are mad right now, but they'll get over it. You said so yourself."

"I guess I just wasn't prepared for their words to me to hurt so much. I don't think I'm used to the whole 'having friends' thing, so…it just hit a nerve."

"Well, I have something to take your mind off that. Lana told me that she and Clark got attacked by bees last night. So, I figured you and I could go do some investigating at Sasha's."

They went over to Sasha's house and saw a little shack with a banner that said "Campaign Headquarters". Slowly going inside, they started looking around, but silenced when they saw the door open.

Luckily for them, it was only Clark.

She went up to him and put his hand on her shoulder. He quickly spun around.

"Chloe," he breathed.

"Lana told me about the Talon. Thanks for the call."

"Sorry."

"It's all right. I'm not mad."

"Look, Chloe. I don't hold it against either of you. The endorsement, I mean."

"Thanks," Chloe smiled. "I could have warned you, though."

"And Em, I want to apologize. Pete and I shouldn't have acted the way we did towards you. We're just so used to the new you that we forget that you still have a shy side. So, I'm sorry."

Emmeline smiled. "Thanks."

"I just don't like being in a fight with either of you."

"Yeah, it wasn't my favorite part either," Chloe said.

"Everything has changed in my life in the last year, with my parents, with Em, with Lana. The only thing constant has been you. I'm glad for that, Chloe."

"Me too."

At that point, despite the fact that she liked Clark, Emmeline just wanted Clark and Chloe to become a couple. The chemistry between them was overwhelming.

Suddenly, something dripped onto Clark's shoulder. He touched it and rubbed it between his fingers. "This feels like honey," he told them.

"Yeah, that's what you usually find in a hive," Chloe said. She shined her flashlight at the ceiling to reveal a gigantic hive.

"Don't tell me Sasha did all this," Clark groaned.

"No, her worker bees did."

"How is she controlling them?"

"I think she's emitting something called…the queen mandibular pheromone."

"She pick that up when she fell in the hive?"

"She was stung over a thousand times."

"That's awful," Emmeline said. "How did she survive that?"

"Well, that's just it. They were Africanized honey bees and the doctors didn't hold out much hope because she was allergic."

"How do they account for the miracle recovery?" Clark asked.

"They don't. And neither could I until I found out the accident happened in Shuster's Gorge."

"That's the deepest crater in town."

"Yeah, you do the meteorite math. The bees did something to her to make her their queen bee."

"Now all the bees in the state are taking their cue from her."

"And they're helping her make Smallville High her own personal hive."

"We better find her. If she doesn't like the way the vote goes, the school won't be a pretty sight."

"Neither will she. Bees are only loyal to a point. Once she loses control, her scent will change and the bees will know. They won't be happy."

They all left the shack and Chloe threw her arm around Emmeline. "See?" she smiled. "All better."

"Yeah, I'm glad. I couldn't take the silent treatment for much longer."

* * *

A couple weeks later, once Sasha had been stopped thanks to Clark once again, and no one had to worry about bees attacking, the election had ended and the results were in. Paul was the winner.

The victory party was held at the Talon, and Chloe and Emmeline took a lot of pictures for him.

"Please tell me that's not for the Torch," Pete groaned as Chloe took a picture of him.

"It's for Paul," she told him. "Since he couldn't attend his own victory party himself, he asked me and Em to take pictures for him."

"Chloe, you both were right to endorse him," Clark told her. "He was the more qualified candidate, and I got caught up in the whole popularity rush."

"Don't start gloating just because your guy won," Pete said.

"Well, our candidate may have won, but our friends lost. I'm really proud of you tonight, Clark."

"Why?"

"Because you're exhibiting dignity in the face of defeat. It's the quality that all great leaders possess."

Clark smiled at the both of them.

A little later, Pete came up to Emmeline while she was grabbing some food.

"Hey, Em," he said. "I'm…I'm really sorry about before. I should've been more considerate of your feelings."

"It's okay, Pete."

"Let me make it up to you. I'll take you to a movie tomorrow."

Emmeline smiled at him. "I'd like that."


	19. Crush

Career Day. Just what every high school student wants to hear.

As Emmeline went around to various tables looking for places she could apply for a summer job, Chloe bounced up behind her.

"Hey! Find anything interesting?"

"I don't know," Emmeline answered. "What kind of job is there for a girl who's still afraid to speak?"

"Don't worry, you'll find something. Now come on, I'm gonna go sign up at the Daily Planet."

The two girls walked over to the big Daily Planet booth and Emmeline waited while Chloe signed up for a summer internship at her dream job. When she finished, they spotted Pete and Clark and walked over to them.

"Wow, you look nice," Clark commented about Chloe's apparel.

"Thanks," she said. "I was, uh, kind of going for professional. Did you know that the Daily Planet only takes four high school interns from the whole state?"

"Ah, you're a shoo-in, Chloe," Pete smiled.

"Tell him that. He said they received over 500 applicants last year. I doubt I'll even get an interview."

"Well, there's always the Inquisitor," Clark said as they all began walking away from the fair. "Didn't Lex offer to hook you up?"

"No, I'm interning at the Planet. I don't care if it's delivering coffee to the classified department."

"Why don't you just try again next Saturday when you're in Metropolis?" Pete asked.

"Why are you going to Metropolis?"

Chloe stopped walking at Clark's question and Emmeline pressed her mouth into a tight line as her eyes closed. This wasn't good.

" _We're_ going to Metropolis, Clark," Chloe said with a sinking feeling. "The student journalism conference. You were supposed to sign us up and I know you didn't forget because now it's too late to get in."

Clark's eyes widened with realization. "I'm really sorry," Clark sighed. "I've been at the Talon all week with Lana working on a history project."

"So naturally everything else becomes less important." Chloe started storming away from him.

"Well, that's not true."

She furiously spun around. "Clark, how much time have we spent together in the last three weeks?"

"We see each other every day."

"It was 45 minutes when my car happened to break down outside the Talon and you gave me a ride home. I practically had to tear you away from Lana."

"Don't you think you're being just a little unfair?"

"No! Whenever Lex and Lana are around, it's like the rest of us don't exist."

"Wait, Chloe, why are you being so hypersensitive?"

"You know, most men are from Mars, Clark, but you're from some distant galaxy that I've never even heard of."

Finally, Chloe walked away and Emmeline released a breath. Poor Chloe.

Clark turned to look at his two friends. "Look, I know I screwed up, but why is Chloe having a breakdown?"

"You're not the most observant person in the world, are you?" Pete said as he began walking forward.

"What are _you_ talking about?"

"She wanted to spend the day with you uninterrupted. No Lana and no Lex. She's planning on asking you to the Spring Formal."

"Yeah, but that'd be like…"

"A date? Clark, maybe if you took off your Lana blinders, you'd realize that Chloe likes you."

Pete walked away and Clark looked over at Emmeline. "Em, you're a girl. Isn't Chloe overreacting?"

Emmeline refused to meet his eyes. "It's not my place to say."

"Come on, tell me the truth."

"Clark…Chloe is absolutely right. I invited you and your parents over for dinner to return the favor for everything you've done for me. Well, my mom and I worked all day to make a nice meal only for you to be a no-show because you needed to help Lana, and I had to listen to all the adults talk about things I didn't understand or care about. And when we set a day for you to help me study for a test, my mom worked really hard to make some good snacks for us and get everything ready so we'd have a good place to work. Ten minutes before you're supposed to get there, you call and say that you can't make it because you're doing homework with Lana instead, and you never set another study session. You know I ended up getting a D on that test? You just…you spend so much time going after someone who's already taken. Maybe you should start going after someone who's actually available."

She walked away in a huff, leaving Clark dumbstruck.

She headed to the Torch office and found some guy in there with Chloe.

"Oh, hey, Em, this is Justin!" Chloe said with a bright smile. "He used to draw comic strips for the Torch before you started working here. Justin, this is Emmeline, our proofreader."

"It's nice to meet you," Justin said.

"Nice to meet you too." She looked at Chloe. "I just wanted to make sure that you were, you know, alright."

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine! Justin got tickets for the conference, so I'm just going to go with him!" she answered happily.

Emmeline slowly nodded. Something was up with her. She shouldn't have been this happy after what had just happened with Clark. Sure Justin was cute, but even still…

She had a strong feeling Chloe was attempting to make Clark feel jealous. Once Clark walked into the room, Emmeline quickly excused herself, unwilling to see the upcoming conversation.

The next day, Emmeline and Pete were walking together when Clark came up and joined them.

"Hey, either of you seen Chloe?"

"Not since English," Pete answered. "She's probably hanging out with Justin."

"What do you think about that guy?"

"He seems pretty cool. I never got to know him that well before. He was always buried in his sketch pad."

"Chloe seems to like him."

Pete and Emmeline smiled. "Careful, Clark. You almost sound a little jealous."

"I'm not jealous," Clark defended, his tone suggesting the exact opposite. "I'm…concerned."

"Why? Because Chloe's falling for a nice guy? It's got me worried too."

"Look." He showed the both of them a newspaper article. "Justin had it in his portfolio yesterday."

"'Going Down! Doctor Loses Hands in Freak Accident'," Pete read. "So?"

"That was Justin's doctor." When Pete scoffed, he added, "Don't you think it's a little weird he's carrying that around with him?"

"I liked the tragic irony." Everyone looked at each other awkwardly as they realized Justin had been listening to their conversation. "You always talk about people behind their backs, Clark?"

"Look, Justin, I didn't mean—"

"Yes, you did. So, what, so I start spending a little time with Chloe, suddenly you realize she exists and want me out of the picture?"

"Chloe and I are just friends."

"You had your chance with her. Now you let me have mine."

Justin walked away and Emmeline looked after him. "You know, the best friend's approval is the most important part of a relationship. So far…I don't approve."

"See?" Clark said to Pete.

"Sorry, but I'm gonna need more proof first."

During free period, Emmeline headed to the Torch office and when she walked inside, she found Justin and Chloe in total lip-lock!

Chloe jumped at the sound of the door opening. "Oh, uh, hey, Em!"

"Sorry," Emmeline said quietly. "I…didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"No, uh, Justin was just leaving."

"I'll see you later," Justin said as he gave Chloe a kiss on the cheek before heading out the door.

Emmeline looked at Chloe. "Chloe, are you sure about this?"

"Of course I am. I've been emailing him for months on end, and right now, it's a great escape from dealing with Clark."

"You're sure you're not doing it just to make him jealous?"

"What is with the both of you? My world does not revolve around Clark, and I don't need him to be happy!"

"Okay, I get it," Emmeline said quickly. "Sorry."

Chloe sighed. "I'm sorry, Em. I didn't mean to yell. I've kind of just been having a really weird day, and I guess I'm not in the best mood."

"I understand. Guys can do that to you. Especially a farmboy with the initials C.K."

"Very funny. Despite all that, I actually do have feelings for Justin."

"I don't know, Chloe. There's just something about him that feels…off to me."

"You don't know him like I do. Trust me, he's a really great guy."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"That's why we're best friends."

* * *

That same night, the school got the horrible news that Principal Kwan had been killed in a car accident…

Emmeline walked into the Torch office to find Pete and Chloe going around trying to make the next issue.

Not long after, Clark joined them as well. "Hey, guys. How are you holding up?"

"I still can't believe this happened," Chloe answered, trying very hard to fight back tears. She rushed all around the room throwing things together at a speed that made it obvious she was falling apart. "I'm putting together a memorial issue, but of course when you're looking for pictures of someone, you can never find them. Um, Pete, can you check the library files again? One more time?"

"Sure," Pete said as he left the office.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"I read Kwan's police report," Chloe explained to Clark and Emmeline with her back to them. "Apparently his car was still on. It must have slipped into gear."

"Chloe, are you okay?" Clark asked, the concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She came back over to her computer and they both noticed her watery eyes. "I just can't find anything in this office."

"Let me help."

"No thank you."

Clark and Emmeline looked at each other sadly then back at Chloe. Clark looked at her computer screen. "Chloe, look at this. The first three numbers of Kwan's license plate match Justin's hit-and-run driver."

"What are you getting at, Clark?"

"Well, I'm saying there's a lot of weird accidents that happen around this guy."

"Clark, you are seriously barking up the wrong tree here."

"Did you get a response from the DMV yesterday?"

"No, it never came through."

Clark looked at her fax machine. "Yes, you did. 4:43 yesterday afternoon. That's right around the time you were here with Justin."

"He couldn't have done it," Chloe insisted.

"Why, because you like him?"

"No, because I know him and I know he wouldn't hurt anyone." She turned back around and continued looking through files and pictures.

"I hope you're right," Clark said before leaving the office.

Emmeline went over to Chloe as she furiously searched through her various folders and continued to hold back tears. "Chloe, hey, stop," she said gently but firmly. "Take a deep breath, okay?"

Chloe faced her and it broke her heart to see her best friend so upset. "As you can see, I don't exactly handle this kind of thing very well."

"It's okay, I know it's a lot to take in. But…Chloe, look. I know you like Justin and I couldn't be happier that he likes you back, but the facts aren't really in his favor right now."

"You too? This isn't the time, Em."

"Alright, fine. In that case, I'll just help you with this issue. Just tell me what you want."

* * *

Emmeline was doing some homework in the afternoon, though her mind was really on Chloe and Justin.

"Emmeline!" her mother called. "Chloe's on the phone!"

Emmeline picked up the house phone in her room. "Hey, Chloe, what's up?"

"Em? You and Clark were right. Justin is behind everything. I should've listened to you."

"What? Where are you?"

"I'm on my way to Clark's barn to see if he's there. I've been trying to reach the house, but no one's answering."

"Alright, I'm on my way!" Emmeline bolted downstairs. "Mom, I need the car. It's an emergency. Chloe needs my help."

"Sure, take mine. Be careful!"

"I will!"

She raced outside and drove as fast as she could to Clark's house. Her mind took her on a thousand different scenarios, all of them ending with Chloe getting seriously hurt. This was just what she had feared.

When she ran inside Clark's barn, Justin was covered in broken and splintered wood and a sobbing Chloe was hugging Clark.

"What happened?!" she exclaimed.

"Clark saved the day again," Chloe mustered out.

Emmeline ran up to her friend and hugged her tightly. She looked at the cut on her head. "I'm so sorry…"

Chloe said nothing, but they just stayed in their tight embrace, neither daring to let go.

* * *

"Em, I am so sorry I didn't trust you," Chloe said to her friend. "What kind of best friend am I?"

"I know how you feel. When someone likes you like that, it's just…such a rush. There's nothing quite like it. Can't say I've ever experienced it myself, but…"

"Well, Clark and I are going to the convention together. Just the two of us."

"That's great! I'm happy for you! You deserve it."

"You're being so cooperative about all this."

"Well, hey, we made a deal. And I'm going to keep it."

"You're the best, Em. What did I do to deserve a friend like you?"

"I ask myself that same thing about you all the time."


	20. Obscura

It was time for Chloe to depart for her interview in Metropolis, and it was only fitting that Emmeline was there to see her off.

That is until they got the call that Lana was in the hospital after she had been near a pipe explosion.

Something always went wrong in this city.

The two girls went to the hospital and saw Clark standing in the doorway with Lana unconscious in the bed and Whitney watching over her.

"Hey!" he said when Chloe touched his arm. He took her outside the room. "I thought you'd be halfway to Metropolis by now."

"Ah, it's just a summer internship," Chloe sighed. "I can always reschedule."

"You've been waiting for that interview at the Planet for weeks."

"I know. I just feel weird taking off right now."

"Lana's gonna be okay. It's just a mild concussion."

"Clark's right," Emmeline added. "It's sad, but we both know Lana's been through worse."

"Okay," Chloe admitted. "I'm crashing at my cousin's dorm. Call me on my cell if anything goes wrong at the Torch."

"We can survive one day without you," Clark told her.

"Are you gonna wish me luck?"

Clark smiled at her. "You don't need it."

"All right. Bye."

"Bye."

She hugged Emmeline. "Bye, Em."

"Bye, Chloe."

Emmeline and Clark went back into Lana's room. "Can I buy you a cup of coffee?" Clark asked Whitney.

"Yeah," Whitney answered sadly. He gently kissed Lana's head. Emmeline didn't miss the wishful look that crossed Clark's features.

They left the room and went to the lobby where they all grabbed a quick cup of coffee.

What Emmeline couldn't get out of her mind was that something felt…kind of off. She wasn't sure what it was, but…something was wrong.

* * *

The next day, Emmeline and Clark were in the Torch office trying to get things moving, but it felt like everything was going wrong.

The sound of quiet footsteps alerted them to Lana walking into the room.

"Hey. How you feeling?" Clark asked.

"Better," she smiled. "Now it only hurts when I walk, sit, or breathe."

Emmeline and Clark chuckled lightly. "I'm surprised to see you. Usually a hospital visit comes with a 'get-out-of-jail-free' card."

"Actually, I was looking for Chloe."

"She's not here. She's in Metropolis until tonight."

"You both covering?"

"Well, if you could call it that. The printer's jammed, the scanner's broken, and the Spring Formal event schedule is late. Chloe leaves for a day and the Torch goes down in flames."

"It's safe to say we won't lose you to the entrancing world of journalism. So, have either of you talked to Chloe?"

"We left messages on her cell phone. I think she's busy convincing the Planet they were insane ever to publish without her." He noticed Lana had a worried expression on her face. "What's up?"

"I had this intense dream about Chloe I just can't shake. It was totally surreal, but I dreamed that she was attacked outside of the hospital. I know, sounds crazy."

Emmeline looked up from the computer she was working on. Maybe what she had felt last night wasn't as totally out of the park as she thought.

"But it's got you freaked," Clark said standing up.

"It's just it felt like I was right there. She was walking to her car and she was getting her keys out of that red bag with the butterflies on it." She looked up and saw Clark frown a little at that statement. "What is it?"

"She…she was carrying that red bag when she left the hospital. Do you want me to call her dad to see if she's all right?"

"You know, I'm sure it's just the concussion. I don't want to scare him just because I spent the night on pain killers."

"Yeah, it was probably just a nightmare."

"Um, I'll see you both later."

Lana left the room and Emmeline thought about what she had told them.

"Em? What's wrong?" Clark asked her.

"It's just…last night at the hospital…I felt like something was wrong. Call it best friend intuition, but I'm starting to get a little worried about her."

"Why don't I call her again?"

"That'd be good."

Clark dialed Chloe's number on his cell phone. It rang a few times, then he said quietly to Emmeline, "Answering machine." He waited a few more seconds, then said, "Hey, Chloe. Hope everything's going good. Just give me or Em a call as soon as you possibly can. Bye!"

Emmeline nervously bit her lip. She didn't feel any better.

* * *

"Hey, Em!"

Emmeline turned to find Pete catching up with her as she walked to the Talon. "Hey, Pete!" she smiled.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Alright."

"So you know the Spring Formal is coming up."

"Yes…"

"And I was wondering if maybe you'd go with me."

Emmeline smiled broadly at him. "I would love to go to Spring Formal with you, Pete."

"Oh, really?" he laughed. "Great! Don't worry about a thing! I'll make it one of the best nights of your life."

They walked into the Talon and grabbed a seat. Pete bought her a coffee and it wasn't long before Clark came in.

"Hey, Clark," Pete said as they both stood up and walked with him to the counter.

"Have either of you talked to Chloe yet?" Clark asked.

"No, but the Planet better not have turned her down if they know what's good for them."

"I just thought she would have called by now to get an update on the Torch."

"Ah, she probably already got the internship and is out partying with her cousin. So, guess what? Em and I are going to Spring Formal together!"

"Really? That's great!" Clark smiled.

"The nicest girl in our class. Just wanted to make sure that was clear."

"It is."

Emmeline began blushing. So this was what it was like to have awesome guy friends.

"So do you want to know my secret? You do, don't you?" Pete joked. "I asked her. You ought to try it, Clark. Getting up off your butt is the wave of the future. I gotta go reserve my limo for the Spring Formal."

"A limo?" Emmeline asked, shocked.

"I said it was gonna be a great night! See you later!"

"Pete, huh?" Clark asked Emmeline.

"He asked, and I thought why not? I know we'll have a great time."

Lana walked up to them. "Any word on our intrepid reporter?"

"I called her dad," Clark answered. "He was stuck in a seminar. I'm sure she'll be okay."

"Yeah, me too." Her expression showed she didn't truly believe her words.

Clark looked over to see a sign that said, 'Spring Formal Tickets Now On Sale'. "Oh, you can buy tickets to the Spring Formal here. That's a cool idea."

Lana smiled. "You ask anyone yet?"

"I've got my eye on someone."

"Well, you better hurry up. No one likes to look for a dress last minute. Not even Chloe."

"What makes you think I'm asking Chloe?"

Lana and Emmeline laughed at his question, the fact that he liked Chloe being completely obvious.

Lana went to go behind the counter when she gasped and all the dishes and the tray she was holding crashed to the floor.

"Lana," Clark and Emmeline said at the same time, both of them going over to her.

"It happened again," she gasped.

"You saw something?"

"I saw Chloe. Somebody's got her. You have to believe me."

"I do," Emmeline said. "I believe you."

They called Chloe's father and got him to come over to the Talon. Clark got Lana a glass of water while they all anxiously awaited for the man's arrival.

He ended up coming in with two other police officers.

"Hey, guys," Chloe's father said. "I, uh, I called the sheriff's office because I wanted them to hear this too."

"Any luck reaching Chloe, Mr. Sullivan?" Clark asked.

"No, I haven't heard from her all day. I'm starting to get concerned. I called her cousin, but all I get is the machine."

Deputy Watts looked over at Lana. "You said you had some proof that Chloe might have been abducted?"

"Well, I sort of had a vision," Lana said warily.

"A vision?" Deputy Vertigo said skeptically.

"She saw Chloe being kidnapped," Clark defended her.

"Maybe you should have called the Psychic Friends Network instead, then."

Emmeline didn't appreciate his sarcastic tone, but she refused to say anything about it.

"What makes you think it was real?" Deputy Watts asked her.

"I saw Chloe bound and blindfolded in a dark room," she explained.

"Oh, wow," Vertigo said sarcastically. "It's too bad you didn't see something a little more useful like an address where we might find her."

Mr. Sullivan's phone rang and he quickly took it out of his pocket and stepped away to answer it.

"Miss Lang," Watts said. "You went through a pretty rough ordeal yesterday. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"You mean do I think I'm hallucinating?" Lana asked angrily. "It felt like I was right there, like I was seeing through the kidnapper's eyes."

"I promise, we'll take this seriously, and look into it."

Mr. Sullivan hung up the phone and turned back to the group with an ashen expression on his face.

"Mr. Sullivan? What is it?" Clark asked.

"They found Chloe's car. It's been abandoned in the woods."

Emmeline suddenly couldn't breathe. It was official. Her best friend had been kidnapped.

Tears formed in her eyes at the thought of what could be happening to her. She leaned against the counter for support, her legs going weak. Clark quickly put his arm around her to steady her.

"We'll find her," he said gently.

Emmeline went back home and sat on her bed, her arms hugging her knees to her chest. Tears kept finding their way to her face, immensely worried about the girl she called her best friend.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She went to the phone and called up Clark. "Hey, Clark. Are you home?"

"Yeah…I'm just in the loft."

"Can I come over? I can't…be alone right now."

"Of course."

Emmeline drove over to Clark's house and slowly went up to the loft where Clark was. The first thing he noticed was her red eyes and puffy cheeks, and his heart went out to her.

"Hey," she said quietly. "Anything?"

"No…" he answered, avoiding her eyes. "Don't worry. Chloe's tough. She can handle anything."

"I know. You know she was my first true friend."

"You've never had a best friend?"

"Before I met you guys, I didn't even talk to anyone, much less make friends."

"And now here you are with a date to Spring Formal," Clark smiled. His smile quickly disappeared when he remembered he was supposed to ask Chloe.

"You know, Chloe really likes you Clark. And she's put up with a lot when it comes to how you feel about Lana. She's tried so many times to drop hints here and there, but you haven't seen any of them."

Clark looked away from her guiltily. Neither said it, but they were both thinking how he may never get the chance to do anything for her now.

The two of them stayed up in the loft for hours until the day turned into night. Soon, Lana came up and joined them.

"Any word on Chloe?" she asked both of them.

"Uh, my dad and I went out with Mr. Sullivan and the police," Clark answered. "We searched the woods but we didn't find anything. They've organized a search party first thing tomorrow morning. How are you doing?"

"Spent the afternoon at the sheriff's station telling them what I saw. They kept looking at me like I was crazy." She walked over and joined Emmeline on the couch.

"I don't think you're crazy."

"How are you holding up?"

Clark sat across from them on the chest by the couch. "I keep wishing Chloe would just walk up those steps. I never appreciated how much she meant to me until now. The thought of never seeing her again—"

"Clark. You can't think that way."

Clark stood up and started fiddling with his telescope. "You know, I remember the first time I met her. It was eighth grade. She'd just transferred from Metropolis and I was assigned to show her around. The first thing she wanted to know was where she could buy a copy of the Planet so she could keep in touch with civilization. When she found out I lived on a farm, she insisted I invite her over to experience it firsthand. I think she thought I was Amish." Lana and Emmeline both laughed at that. He came back over and sat down. "When I brought her up here, she just kissed me, right out of the blue."

"Why'd she do that?" Lana asked.

"She said, 'I know you've been thinking about that all day, so I figured we'd get it out of the way and be friends.'."

"That sounds like Chloe," Emmeline laughed.

Clark smiled. "That was my first kiss."

Chloe was his first kiss? That was so romantic! Why had Chloe never mentioned that to her?

"It's nice it was with someone you still care about," Lana smiled. "We're gonna see her again, guys."

She got up to leave. When she reached the stairs, she gasped heavily and staggered a little.

"Lana?" Clark said as he and Emmeline ran over to her.

She frantically turned around. "I just saw her again!" she gasped.

"Chloe? Where?"

"Buried. She's still alive."

"Did you see where she was?"

"I'm not sure, but there was a windmill, a big one."

"She must be on Chandler's field. I'll get help."

Lana and Emmeline watched as Clark ran off to go save their friend.

When Emmeline was told Chloe was safe in the hospital, she couldn't get there fast enough.

She ran to Chloe's room as quickly as she could and got there around the same time as Clark and Lana. When they walked in, they saw Chloe was on the phone.

"Thanks, I appreciate that." Chloe looked over. "Oh, I gotta go. Some real people just came in. Okay, bye."

The second Chloe hung up the phone, Emmeline raced over to her friend and hugged her as tightly as she could, tears forming in her eyes once more. Neither girl said anything to the other, and Clark and Lana politely let them have their moment.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," Emmeline said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

"Who was on the phone?" Clark asked.

"The Daily Planet," Chloe answered.

Lana frowned. "I thought you missed your appointment for the internship."

"I did. They were calling about an interview."

"Are you gonna do it?" Clark asked.

Chloe shook her head. "I've always wanted my name in the Daily Planet, but not like this. Besides, I figure that the Torch could use an exclusive, which I will write as soon as I get out of here."

Clark slowly took a seat on the other side of the bed, as Emmeline was sitting on the side closest to him. "Chloe, do you remember anything?"

Her brow furrowed as she recalled what she had been through. "I remember tripping on some metal rails, and I remember hundreds of teddy bears hanging from the ceiling." Tears started appearing in her eyes as her voice cracked. "Anyway, that's where I was kept until I…" She faltered off, the memories becoming too much. "I'm sorry, you guys. Flashback. I can still hear the dirt falling on the coffin. Sorry." Emmeline reassuringly stroked her hand, pained her best friend had to go through such an ordeal. Chloe looked at Clark. "If you hadn't found me, I don't know where I'd be."

"Don't thank me. Thank Lana," Clark said.

"Yeah, you know, I got to hand it to you, you sure picked a perfect time to take a walk on the weird side."

Lana smiled broadly at her.

"You should get some rest," Clark told her. He started to get up, but Chloe quickly grabbed his hand.

"Clark, um, would you mind sticking around for a little while? Whoever did this is still out there. "

"Of course not. I'll stay here as long as you need me to."

"Thanks."

"Okay, well, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow," Lana said.

"I'm gonna hang around for a little longer," Emmeline told her.

"Bye, Lana," Chloe said.

* * *

Emmeline skipped school and stayed with Chloe in the hospital all day. She told her about Pete asking her to Spring Formal, something that made Chloe extremely excited.

Once she was discharged, she immediately went to the Torch against Emmeline's wishes.

"Hey," Chloe said to Clark once they arrived.

"Chloe, why aren't you at home sleeping?" Clark asked.

"That's what I told her," Emmeline said.

"If I fall asleep, I'll have night mares, so I figure the best thing to do is keep busy. Goodness knows you left enough of a mess for me to clean up."

"Well, I'm glad you're here."

They looked up and saw Whitney enter the room.

"Whitney," Chloe said surprised. "You sure you're in the right place?"

"Clark called, said he needed my help," Whitney told her.

"I think I figured out how Lana got her visions," Clark said. "It was the explosion."

"You think the blast somehow caused them?" Chloe asked.

"It was more than that. It connected her with someone at the accident."

"Clark Kent leaps tall theories in a single bound. How did you arrive at this one?"

"Well, apparently there were meteor rocks at the explosion, and I found this article."

He handed the three of them some papers.

"The De Kretser Syndrome?" Chloe asked, reading the paper.

"It's kind of like a post-traumatic stress disorder. There were several cases reported during the London Blitz."

"'Some people who were huddled in shelters would find themselves psychically linked after a bomb hit nearby.' Okay, I'm sold."

"According to this, it's in times of stress, anger, or excitement that triggers the visions," Whitney read.

"Who was around Lana after the explosion?" Clark asked him.

"Myself and two deputies, Watts and Vertigo."

"They were with your dad when we told him about Lana's vision."

"He probably called them himself. They were in a bowling league together," Chloe explained.

"Whitney, which one got to her first?"

"It's tough to say. It all happened so fast. You think one of those cops kidnapped Chloe?"

"Who would suspect a cop? We have to warn Lana. If one of those guys is the kidnapper, he knows that Lana's seeing through his eyes."

"Great. I'll drive," Whitney said.

"Um, that's okay. We'll take my car," Chloe said with a small smile.

They all rushed to the Talon and found Vertigo knocked out on the ground. No Lana. Clark got Vertigo awake and helped him into a chair.

"Where's Lana?" Whitney asked Vertigo.

"I don't know, she was here," Vertigo answered, touching the large bump on his cheek. "The guy must have grabbed her."

"I'm gonna check the back."

"Deputy, where's your partner tonight?" Clark asked him.

"Gary? Uh, he's working a second job at the carnival grounds. He's a security guard."

Clark looked at Chloe. "You said you saw stuffed animals and train tracks."

"The carnival's closed this time of year. It's a perfect place to hide someone," Chloe said.

Clark took off to find Lana. Emmeline breathed deeply. Maybe this whole nightmare was finally going to be over.

* * *

"EM!" Chloe screamed when Emmeline opened her door. "HE DID IT!"

"What are you talking about?" Emmeline asked.

"Clark asked me! He asked me to Spring Formal!"

"What? That's great!" she exclaimed, hugging her. "I'm really happy for you."

"In other news, I got an internship at the Daily Planet!"

"That's amazing! You've just got all kinds of good things going on!"

"I know! I can't believe it! The only downside is that I'm going to be spending all summer in Metropolis. I know we wanted to do a lot this summer."

"Don't worry about it. I couldn't be happier that you get to spend your time at your dream job."

"Make sure you visit me."

"I'll practically live there."

The two girls hugged again, relishing their friendship, especially after the course of the last few days.

There never truer friends than Emmeline and Chloe.


	21. Tempest

With the Spring Formal drawing closer, both Emmeline and Chloe (but more so Chloe) could hardly contain their excitement.

Seeing as Chloe already had chosen her dress, she helped Emmeline pick out hers. She ended up choosing a purple satin strapless dress that gradually faded to white at the bottom where it flowed out a little. Very small jewels sprinkled the bodice.

They later made plans to go to the hair salon together to get their hair done up.

At school, Pete was telling Emmeline when he was going to pick her up when Clark came up beside them.

"Guys! I need your opinion." He showed them a magazine. "Classic black or traditional red?"

"For what?" Pete asked.

"My tie-cummerbund combo. I gotta get my tux order in today!"

"If I were you, I'd stick with the traditional black. This is no time to get adventurous."

"You're right."

"I don't know Clark. Red always looks good on you," Lana said, coming up behind them.

"Then red it is," Clark said.

Emmeline discreetly rolled her eyes with a smile. Of course Clark would make his choice based on what Lana said.

"Thanks," Pete said to Lana. "Now I got to go make a call and change my order. Don't want people mistaking us for twins."

"Yeah, because that happens all the time," Clark said sarcastically as Pete walked off.

Lana laughed. "You seem really excited about the dance," she said to Clark.

"I am. But between the tickets, renting the tux, and buying flowers, it gets expensive."

"You should try finding the right dress."

"I second that," Emmeline said. "Chloe made me try on at least twenty dresses before finding one we liked."

"I guess the limo's out," Lana continued.

"I'm actually thinking of asking Lex if I can borrow his. Chloe said she doesn't care, but deep down I know she wants one. I'm trying to surprise her though, so keep it between us."

"My lips are sealed."

Emmeline smiled. Clark really cared about Chloe. She was loving watching all of this unfold.

Chloe came up to them, her expression one of immense worry.

"Chloe?" Clark said, his voice full of concern.

"They're closing the LuthorCorp Plant," she told them.

Everyone looked at each other. That plant was what kept Smallville going. Without it, what was going to happen to all of them?

* * *

The two girls sat in the Torch, trying to figure out what was going to happen now.

"Thought I'd find you here," Clark said, pulling up a chair as he came into the room.

"My dad and I can't really do the whole depressed thing together, so…" Chloe told him.

"You know, if you're not up for Saturday night, I understand."

Chloe turned to look at him. "Are you kidding me? It's the only thing I have to look forward to right now." She got up and went over to a file cabinet. "Besides, I want to enjoy all the quaint Smallville High customs while I still can."

"Why? Where are you going?"

"My dad's talking about moving us back to Metropolis. Permanently."

"What?" Emmeline exclaimed as she bolted up. "Permanently?"

"What about the Torch and all your friends?" Clark asked.

"I can't even think about that right now."

Like she usually did when she was upset, she buried herself in her work and hurried around the office. Clark reached out and stopped her.

"Clark, I'm not exactly psyched about having to fight my way though the high school hierarchy all over again." She looked up at him. "You're gonna miss me, right?"

"You even have to ask?" he said, insulted she would ask such a thing.

"Just promise me Saturday night is gonna be great."

"It'll be a night you won't forget."

Emmeline smiled and winked at Chloe when Clark wasn't looking.

* * *

The next day when Chloe and Emmeline were leaving class and heading to the Torch, Clark caught up with them.

"Chloe! Where have you been all day?"

"We just went to pick up our dresses."

"We have a problem."

"You can't go," she said, her heart sinking.

"I just can't pick you up. My transportation kind of went up in flames. I was gonna ask Lex if I could borrow his limo, but with all the plant craziness…"

"Clark, I'll drive."

"That ruins the whole Prince Charming vibe."

"Cinderella was never really my role model."

Emmeline smiled wide. Clark was trying to be her Prince Charming? It was so cute! Chloe was finally getting the chance to live out her fantasy!

They all passed by Whitney and his football crowd as he explained to them his decision to join the Marines.

"So, Whitney's off to fight evil for Uncle Sam," Chloe said.

"I heard."

"That technically makes Lana a free agent."

"He asked her to wait for him."

Chloe scoffed and looked back at them. "Long distance relationships never work. People change, have different experiences. It's kind of like us, you know? I'm sure after a couple of weeks, you'll forget all about me."

"Chloe!" Clark said admonishingly.

She sighed and turned to look at him. "Okay, I just…I have this horrible nightmare that you are going to rush to the bus station after Whitney leaves and profess your undying love for Lana, and I'm going to be waiting in the gym all alone, and if you do that to me Clark, I will never speak to you again, okay? I said it."

Clark smiled. "Chloe…" He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, which made Emmeline absolutely ecstatic. When he pulled away, he looked at her and said with complete seriousness, "I'm going to the dance with you, not by default, but because I want to."

Chloe blushed a little. "All right, I feel better now."

Emmeline smiled even more as the two of them looked at each other lovingly.

"Come on," she said, taking Chloe's arm. "We have work to do."

* * *

At the hair salon on Saturday, Chloe and Emmeline waited while the hairdressers finished their work.

"I still can't believe Pete asked you," Chloe said to her. "Maybe he likes you."

"No," Emmeline laughed. "We're just good friends. I promise."

"If you say so."

"You and Clark are seriously so cute together. This whole week has been extremely entertaining to watch."

"Even though you like him too?"

"Who am I to deny the extreme chemistry between you guys?"

The two of them laughed and the hairdressers finished up what they were doing. Chloe had a gorgeous updo with her hair pulled into tight curls on the back of her head. Emmeline's hair was all curled with half of it pinned up and small little flowers sprinkled throughout the top part.

They then both went home to get ready and get their dresses on.

"Mom, can you help me with my dress?" Emmeline called.

Her mother appeared in the doorway and looked at her daughter. "You look so beautiful, honey."

"Thanks. I just can't get this stupid thing zipped up."

"Well, here." She came over and helped Emmeline get her dress to fit comfortably on her body.

The doorbell rang and the two women smiled.

"That'll be your date," her mother said to her.

She quickly went to go answer the door while Emmeline took one last look in the mirror. Who was that girl she was looking at? No way was that her. It couldn't be. She was the girl who locked herself away at any available moment. She didn't get dressed up and go to dances with a date.

And yet here she was.

Taking a deep breath, she descended the stairs to see Pete waiting for her.

"Wow," he said with a smile. "You look amazing."

"Thanks," she said shyly.

"Get together. I need a picture," her mother said.

"Mom," Emmeline groaned.

"Oh, just let me have my 'Mom-moment', will you?"

They smiled and Pete put his arms around Emmeline's waist as she snapped several pictures of the couple. Then she took Pete's arm and outside waiting for her was a limo, just like he had promised. She gasped and smiled broadly at him. It was her first limo ride.

They drove to the school, the wind picking up fiercely, indicating a storm was on the way.

When they walked in, they saw Clark and Chloe together.

"They look so cute," Emmeline commented to Pete.

The two of them went over to join them. "Wow, you guys look amazing!" Chloe smiled, hugging Emmeline.

"Thanks, you do too!"

Pete handed Chloe a camera. "Hey, can you take a picture of us?"

"Sure!" Chloe turned to Clark. "I'll just be a sec!"

Chloe took several pictures of them, then went back over to Clark while Pete and Emmeline went inside the gym.

Chloe and Emmeline ended up talking with some other girls and for the first time, Emmeline actually felt like a real person, not someone constantly shoved into the corner.

The band the school had hired, Remy Zero, finished the song they were playing and started playing "Perfect Memory".

"Oh, I love this song!" Chloe said.

As if on cue, Clark came over to her and extended his arm. "May I have this dance?"

"Of course," Chloe smiled.

He led her away and Pete came over to Emmeline. "Shall we?"

She smiled and took his awaiting hand. They went onto the dance floor, and she put her arms around his neck as they slowly danced together.

"Thanks for an amazing night," Emmeline said. "It's been good with all the craziness these last few months."

"I'm glad you're having a good time. You know, when I first met you, I never would've believed we would eventually be going to a dance together."

"You and me both! I wish I'd known all of you sooner. Thanks for everything you've done for me. It feels nice to have friends like you guys." She looked over at Clark and Chloe dancing and saw them leaning towards each other. "Pete," she whispered.

He looked over to them as well. They both tensed up as they got closer…and closer…

"Excuse me for a second," a teacher said over the mike.

Emmeline groaned and slammed her head on Pete's shoulder. Just five more seconds!

"Can I have everyone's attention please? Um, thank you. The National Weather Service has just issued a tornado warning. Apparently three funnels have been spotted heading toward Smallville. Now, uh, please, everyone stay calm. The twisters are going to set down south of here, but for your own safety, no one will be allowed to leave the gym."

"Of all nights…" Emmeline groaned.

She looked over and saw Chloe…no Clark.

She quickly ran over to her friend. "I'm so sorry, Chloe."

"You know what, I don't know why I was expecting anything different."

"You know Clark. He's wants to save people and right now, a lot of people are going to need saving."

"I know. For what it's worth, up until now, this has been the best night of my life."


	22. Vortex

The tornadoes left a devastating path in their wake as they ripped through Smallville. When they dissipated, the damage left behind was like the meteor shower all over again.

Chloe and Emmeline met up and went to the hospital to see Lana.

"Hey, Dorothy. Back from Oz?" Chloe smiled when they found Lana in a room packing up her things.

"Chloe, Emmeline," Lana smiled.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be in bed for, like, a month?"

"I'm okay. The doctor said it's just a mild concussion. Besides, a lot of people need this bed a lot more than I do."

"Well, we're just glad you're okay. What happened?"

Lana exited the room and the three of them began walking through the halls to leave the hospital. "Well, um, I was driving back after dropping Whitney off when the wind picked up. This, um, mailbox slammed against my windshield and I went off the road. That's when I saw the twisters. Before I knew it, the truck was being sucked up."

"And you walked away with a small bump on your head. That's amazing even by Smallville standards."

"No, it's impossible," Lana muttered.

"What?" Chloe asked.

"Nothing. The next thing I knew, I was waking up here."

"So you clicked your heels, said there's no place like home, and ended up in Smallville Medical Center."

"Apparently, Clark brought me in."

Emmeline silenced and Chloe's face turned expressionless. "Clark," Chloe said.

"Yeah, um, have you seen him?"

"No. Not since he vanished from the dance. Em and I spent like three hours looking for him."

"I guess the Spring Formal was kind of a bust, huh?"

"Yeah, well, at least now I know where he disappeared to."

"If it's any consolation, you guys looked great together."

"It's not. But thanks."

Emmeline looked at her friend sadly. Everything with Clark was hard enough on her, and Lana had really just put salt in the wound. Unintentionally, yes, but pain resulted all the same.

* * *

The next day, Clark called up Chloe, Emmeline, and Pete, and they all started looking for Clark's dad who had gone missing during the storm.

"Mr. Kent!" Pete and Emmeline yelled.

"Dad!"

Chloe looked at the map Lex had given them with a grid that told them where Clark's dad had to be. "Well, this is the edge of the grid."

"And there are no structures marked on the map," Pete said. "Sorry, Clark."

"Wait. What's that?"

They all looked over and saw a pink motor home in complete disarray.

"The twister must have dropped it here!" Pete exclaimed.

Clark looked at the house, but his face dropped after a second. "He's not in here."

"What are you, part bloodhound?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, how do you know?" Pete added. "Mr. Kent!"

Chloe looked down and picked up a video camera.

"Who's do you suppose that is?" Emmeline asked her.

"No idea. I mean debris is everywhere. It could be anybody's and could've come from anywhere." Chloe froze for a second. "Did you guys hear something?"

"Come on," Clark said after a pause. "Let's start again."

They all kept looking for their friend when Clark and Chloe ended up next to each other. She knew she shouldn't, but Emmeline couldn't help but eavesdrop in on their conversation, curious to see what was going to happen as far as their relationship went.

"Uh, Chloe?" Clark stuttered. "I've been wanting to apologize for leaving you at the Formal."

"Oh, didn't I tell you that leaving in the middle of a tornado to save a friend totally gets you off the hook?" Chloe laughed, attempting to hide her hurt. "Besides, I mean, I know you'd do the same thing for me."

"Oh, in a heartbeat. So, how can I make it up to you?"

"Actually, you know, I've been thinking. It's funny how a natural disaster puts your life in perspective, but I think that it might be better if we just stayed really good friends. Anything other than that just gets too complicated."

Emmeline's heart sank. What in the world was Chloe doing? Clark was at least trying to make amends, but she was pushing him away again. And she had a pretty good feeling why. Chloe was afraid to get hurt again.

"Uh…yeah," Clark said. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea."

"You do?"

Clark's face looked confused, like he wasn't prepared for how to deal with this. "Yeah. Yeah, uh, our friendship is so important to me. The last thing I want to do is screw it up."

"Good. Great. Perfect. I'm really glad we got that straightened out."

"I'm going to go check over here."

"Okay. I'll catch up in a sec. My feet are throbbing."

Clark walked away and Chloe began crying as she leaned against a tree. Emmeline ran up to her best friend and put her hand on her shoulder while her other comfortingly rubbed up and down her arm.

"I'm so sorry," she said quietly.

"Mr. Kent!" Pete called. He looked over and saw the two girls. "Hey."

"Hey," Chloe said, her voice cracking.

"What's up with the fake smile and the friend hug?"

"Nothing." She sighed when she saw that lying was pointless. "Clark and I just reaffirmed that we're really good friends. And nothing else."

"Pulled the friends card on you, huh?"

"No, I did. Defense mechanism."

"Listen, Chloe, it's okay to feel bummed out. Last night was supposed to be special and it got ruined."

"He's right," Emmeline agreed. "It's completely natural for you to feel this way, especially when Clark's involved."

"It was just so close to being perfect," Chloe cried. She laughed and wiped her eyes. "Oh, listen to me. I sound so pathetic! A tornado hit. People are in real trouble and I'm upset because Clark didn't fulfill my wish fulfillment fantasy. You guys must think I'm an awful person."

"Yeah. You're a real monster," Pete joked.

The three of them walked away to continue helping find Clark's father.

* * *

"Clark?" Emmeline called as she walked up the loft steps.

"Hey, Em," Clark smiled.

"I heard you found your dad. Is he alright?"

"Just a cracked rib."

"I'm glad you found him. I'm sorry we weren't more help."

"The fact that you guys were all out there in the first place was good enough for me." There was a slight pause before Clark asked, "Hey, Em? Chloe…does she really want to be just friends?"

Emmeline looked at him with sadness in her eyes that she managed to hide from him well. "I think…that if you want that question answered, you should ask her yourself."

Emmeline went down to the Torch office where Chloe sat, sadly looking at her computer. She paused in the doorway as she saw Chloe deleting all the pictures of her and Clark at the dance. Then a window popped open asking if she wanted to permanently delete everything.

"Chloe, what are you doing?" she asked, deciding to make her presence known.

Chloe sniffed. "I pulled the friend card. How am I supposed to keep these now?"

Emmeline handed Chloe a tissue. "Just because you're friends doesn't mean you have to completely erase those times from your memory. Cherish the good part of the night. The part where Clark did everything he could to make sure you had a good time. The part where he specifically requested the band to play your favorite song. The part where he showed you how much he cared for you."

Chloe sighed and hit the 'Cancel' button on the window, leaving the pictures on her computer.

"Remember, Chloe, no matter what, I'll always be here for you."


	23. Heat

The summer surprisingly was quite uneventful in Smallville. Chloe stayed in Metropolis for her Daily Planet internship program. Emmeline visited her several times, and true to her words, she practically lived up there with Chloe. When she wasn't with her, she was usually found in her house reading. Occasionally, Pete and Clark took her out of the house and they all went to the Talon or to a movie.

Finally, it was time for the school year to start. Conveniently, on the hottest day of the year…

"Em!" she heard as she walked into the building for the first time in three months. She turned to find Pete coming up to her. He wrapped her up in a huge hug. "Great to see you again!"

"You too, Pete! And to think that this time last year, I avoided human contact at all cost."

"Well, I couldn't be more happier that that's not the case anymore."

"You and me both."

They both walked in and found Lana filming Clark.

"Em!" Clark said as he hugged her. "Good to see you!"

"What's with Clark Kent, movie star?" Pete asked.

"Well, Lana's making a video letter for Whitney overseas."

"Thought it was the least I could do," Lana smiled. She held up the camera. "Hey, do you wanna give it a shot?"

"Watch how the pros do it," Pete laughed. He turned to the camera and said, "The town's still rebuilding after the storm, the first week of school is a bear, and you're missing the worst heat wave in 25 years. Bottom line, stay safe and come home soon. P.S., the football team's toast without Fordman on offense."

"That was perfect, Pete."

"Yeah, super," Clark said dryly.

"Try not to choke this time," Pete joked. He patted Clark and Emmeline on the shoulder before taking off.

"How about it, Clark?" Lana said. "Do you wanna try take two?"

"How about a rain check?

"Sure. Um, why don't you come by the Talon later?"

"All right."

"All right. Em, how about you?"

Emmeline laughed shyly. "Well, I didn't know Whitney very well. What should I even say?"

"You don't have to. It's just to give him a little something from home."

"I'll just give a quick something." Lana smiled and turned the camera on. "Hey, Whitney. Hope everything's going good. Thanks so much for what you're doing. Be safe out there and remember that Smallville will be waiting for you."

"That was wonderful, Emmeline. Thanks so much."

"No problem."

"See ya," she said as she waved and left. Clark stared after her as she walked away from them.

"It's good to see some things never change," a voice said beside them.

"Chloe!" Clark exclaimed as he hugged her tightly.

"Hi."

"Hey, you're back!"

Chloe hugged him and then hugged Emmeline. "Yeah!" she said with a fake smile. "Yeah, fresh from the wilds of Metropolis and the Daily Planet internship program."

"Well, Pete and Em say you were a big hit. I thought we had lost you for good."

"Yeah, well my dad decided to give LexCorp another shot, so here I am, back in the boonies."

Clark happily put his arm around her. "Well, I'm glad you're staying. I really missed you this summer."

"Yeah, I could tell by the voluminous emails you sent."

"Yeah, sorry, with the farm, and I…"

"Don't worry about it, Clark. It's not a big deal," she said flatly.

There was an awkward pause before Clark continued, "Well…well, I'm really excited to hear all your stories."

"Yeah, actually, you know what? There aren't any stories. Oh, except that I did meet this really hot young intern from Metropolis High. It was great! Made me forget all about Smallville for three whole months."

Chloe walked off with Emmeline, leaving Clark in a state of confusion. Chloe turned around for a second, but turned back when she saw that what she said had no effect on Clark.

"Okay, what was up with that?" Emmeline asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"There was no hot intern. If there was, I would've been the first to know."

Chloe sighed. "I wanted to see how he'd react. I mean, he said he missed me, but I barely heard anything from him all summer. It's Lana, isn't it?"

"I know you don't want to hear it, but yeah, it probably is. I'm sorry."

"Whatever."

The two of them went to their Biology class and took a seat in the middle with Clark and Pete across from them.

A woman walked in wearing a blue sundress that revealed way more than a teacher should ever show.

"Good morning," the woman said. "I'm Miss Atkins. I'll be your new biology teacher on health and human development." Chloe and Emmeline looked at each other with surprised and equally disgusted expressions. "I'm really sorry about the air conditioning in here, but it looks like we're going to have to suffer through this together. Let's get ready for a movie. All right. Everybody try to stay awake."

The film started and it showed animals doing things that Emmeline really didn't want to see in her lifetime. The man narrating it had the most monotone voice and between that and the heat, she direly wanted to go to sleep. She began drawing little doodles in her notebook in an attempt to stay awake. At one point, she saw Chloe looking over at Clark and she saw him staring at Miss Atkins. Emmeline rolled her eyes and Chloe laughed at his pathetic behavior.

Suddenly, the screen the film was on caught on fire and began burning before their eyes. Everyone bolted up and ran out of the room as fast as they could.

The fire department came and fixed up the room. Lex's car pulled up soon after.

"I came as soon as I heard," he said. He rushed up and kissed Miss Atkins to the shock of everyone around them.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she answered before looking at Clark. "Thanks to this young man right here. Clark, come here for a second. He was the only one that kept a cool head during the entire thing. He actually put the fire out."

"Why am I not surprised? Clark, once again, I'm grateful."

"And I'm confused," Clark said with a smile.

"You're right, and I'm sorry. I'd like you to meet Desiree Atkins. My fiancée."

Pete, Clark, and Emmeline all traded looks of utter confusion.

The fireman cleared the building and students began to trickle back in. Pete and Emmeline left Clark with Lex.

"Fiancée?" Emmeline asked in disbelief.

"I guess so…" Pete said.

* * *

That evening, Chloe came over to Emmeline's house, insisting that she accompany her to the wedding. She wasn't about to be in that kind of place without her best friend.

Emmeline dressed in a casual summer dress that wouldn't be too hot in the middle of such a heat wave.

The ceremony was rather quick and short and the reception started not long after they arrived. Soon Clark walked over to them.

"Hey, Chloe, Em. I've been looking all over for you guys."

"Really? We're not that hard to find, Clark," Chloe laughed. She looked around at all the decorations. "Only Lex Luthor could put together a fairly tale wedding in less than 48 hours."

"Look, you seemed a little distant this morning. I wanna make sure everything's okay between us."

"Yeah, it's hunky-dory!"

Clark stopped and turned to face her. "Wait. Now I know something's wrong. The only person who says 'hunky-dory' is my father."

"Look, Clark, I…I guess I just let my feelings get the better of me, but, you know, we made a decision and I'm perfectly fine with it."

"Me too."

"Great!" Chloe said with obvious false cheeriness in her voice. Clark didn't seem to notice. Shocker. Chloe looked at the couple. "But I still don't know how I feel about taking sex-ed from Mrs. Luthor. I can't believe Lex is married."

Clark looked at them also. "He says he really loves her."

"You don't think so?" Emmeline asked hearing the tone of his voice.

"Well love is rarely, if ever, logical," Chloe said. "Maybe they just have the right pheromones."

"Hmm?" Clark asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"It's chemistry, Clark. Some people have it…others don't."

Chloe took Emmeline's hand and walked off.

"Chloe…" Emmeline sighed. "We both know you're still in love with Clark. Why won't you just tell him?"

"I…can't compete with his feelings for Lana."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it? He left me at the dance for her."

"Chloe, he was saving her from the twisters. You know as well as I do that he would've done the exact same thing for you."

"I know, Em. It's just that…I can't get hurt again."

"You're already hurting yourself by trying to deny what you feel."

"I'd rather have that kind of hurt than the other."

Emmeline looked at her friend sadly. What else could she say to her?

* * *

A couple days later, after Clark was a no-show at school, he came into the Torch office asking Chloe to dig up something on Lex's new wife. Always the best friend, she did so.

"Oh, so the new Mrs. Luthor has an alias," Chloe said, finding a profile on the woman. "That's interesting."

Clark pulled a copy of the paper out of the printer. "You know…what would you say…if I told you Miss Atkins, a.k.a. Alison Sanders, showed up at my loft last night and…tried to seduce me?"

Chloe and Emmeline looked at each other disbelievingly.

"I'd say you were living the voyeuristic fantasy of every male student in this school," Chloe said. "Clark, she just married Lex. Why would she possibly be interested in you?"

"Thanks," Clark said sarcastically.

"That's not what she meant," Emmeline told him. "Married women, especially newlyweds, tend to not go after other guys so soon."

"Look, she was dissing Lex," Clark explained with a sigh. "Saying he was the only thing standing between her being with me."

"Okay, you know, this is quickly going from merely nauseating to genuinely disturbing," Chloe said.

"Chloe, I'm not making this up. She's got some strange hold on Lex."

Chloe scoffed. "Gee, I wonder what that could be."

"I'm serious. It's more than the fact that she's hot."

"Clark, this is Lex Luthor we're talking about. Don't you think he considered all the unfortunate possibilities before saying 'I do'?"

"I don't know. But I'm gonna find out. I'm gonna go talk to him. Will you keep digging?"

"Yeah, sure. Where there's smoke, there's fire, excuse the aphorism."

They worked on Clark's request and the next issue for the next few hours until words were swimming before Emmeline's eyes from all the proofreading.

"Hey, Em, wanna grab a coffee or something from the Talon? Lana wants me to record Whitney's video."

"Sure!"

The two girls headed over, happy to get a break from the work.

"So remember, keep your head down. I'm counting on an exclusive interview from you when you get back," Chloe finished recording.

"That was great, Chloe," Lana smiled as she closed the camera.

"Thank you. Oh, yeah, and thanks for the quid pro quo. Now Em and I can move the 'Library Gets a New Paint Job' spread to page two."

Lana laughed as Chloe got up and went over to the counter. "So that must have been fun. Spending the entire summer in Metropolis."

"Yeah, it was really nice to get away. Sometimes, a little distance can just give you a new perspective on things you've done, you know? Mistakes you've made."

"Going to the spring formal with Clark was not a mistake."

"That's what I keep telling her," Emmeline put in.

"Yeah, it was," Chloe said. "I let myself indulge in my feelings for him and I ended up getting hurt."

Lana and Emmeline got up and joined her at the counter. "At least you were brave enough to take the risk," Lana told her.

"Oh yeah, that's me. Cupid's cannon fodder. Ugh, three months. I thought I'd be over it by now. But when I saw him in the hall, all those feelings just came back. I even made up some lame story about meeting a guy in Metropolis to try and get a rise out of him."

"Clark still really cares about you, Chloe."

"I know. But he cares about you more."

"I don't want Clark to come between our friendships," Lana said, including Emmeline.

"Me neither. So what are we gonna do about that?"

"Let's define ourselves by what we do, not who we date. Or don't date."

"Cool."

"Let's shake on it," Emmeline smiled.

The girls nodded and all three of them shook hands, silently sealing the deal of their friendship.

"Lana. We need to talk." They all looked over to find Lex having just entered the Talon. He sounded pretty serious.

"Um…we have to get some work done at the Torch," Chloe said.

"Alright. See ya."

Chloe and Emmeline quickly left to leave Lana and Lex with their business talk.

"You handled that very maturely," Emmeline told Chloe as they walk back to school.

"Thanks. I think I did too. Maybe Lana isn't as bad as we think."

"We know she's not. Come on, we always have."

"Well, now our deal goes three-ways. None of us can get mad at the other for dating Clark."

"If only Clark knew how many girls craved his affections!"

Chloe giggled at her remark and continued walking to the Torch.

* * *

When news hit that Clark was in jail after being accused of the fires, the girls wasted no time in going to see him.

"Sorry we didn't have time to bake a file into a cake," Chloe said when they were let in.

"How you holding up?" Lana asked.

Clark walked over to them. "Besides being accused of being a serial arsonist and trying to sleep with my best friend's wife, I'm great."

"We've got some good news. Chloe followed up on your Alison Sanders clue." She handed him a newspaper through the bars.

"Apparently our vixen formerly known as Alison was popular with the Smallville boys even as a teenager," Chloe explained.

"She was with her boyfriend when the meteors hit."

"The Ledger article doesn't cover it, but I'll let your mind wander as to what they were doing in the truck by the lake."

"Couple of weeks later, he lost it and murdered her parents. Desiree inherited everything."

"Fast forward five years. Desiree is now a teacher. She marries a wealthy shipping executive, only to see him offed by one of her moonstruck high school students."

"Same confession, same denial six hours later."

"It's the classic black widow scenario. Only after murder number two, this black widow had the misfortune of being heavily invested in dot coms. After she lost all the money, she decided to go after Lex."

"So she tried to seduce me to kill him," Clark put together. "Why'd she think I'd do it?"

"Pheromones!"

"Chloe…"

"Clark, she was in the throes of major passion when the meteors hit! If her pheromone levels were enhanced, she could get a guy to do whatever she wants! Lucky for us, Clark Kent seems to be immune to some members of the opposite sex."

The tension became quite thick at Chloe's words as everyone met eyes with one another, clearly getting her real meaning.

"Time's up, girls!" Sheriff Ethan said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Okay…" Chloe sighed.

"Hey, my dad went to go see Desiree!" Clark said out of earshot of Ethan. "I gotta get out of here!"

Emmeline put her hand on his. "Just hang in there," she said with a comforting smile.

* * *

Emmeline walked up to find Clark in the loft. "Hey," she said with a smile.

"Hey," he smiled back.

"So you saved the day again. No more Desiree?"

"No more Desiree."

"Thank goodness. To be able to take away someone's free will like that just…ugh."

Clark laughed lightly. "So…about Chloe…"

"What about Chloe?"

"Why has she been acting so weird lately?"

Emmeline paused, trying to think of the right words to say. "I think that you already know the answer to that."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"If you want my opinion, both of you need to lay your cards on the table. And I mean really. Because so far, every time I've seen you guys talk about what's going on with you, you both look like you're lying."

"Really?"

"Really." She started for the stairs, but just before she left, she said to him, "You didn't hear this from me, but…there was no intern."

She walked down the stairs and exited the loft, leaving Clark to ponder over what she had left him with.


	24. Duplicity

Chloe and Emmeline were on their way to the Talon to grab some drinks before spending some time on the next issue of the Torch. When they walked in, they saw some guy looking back at Lana and her aunt, Nell.

"Hi," Chloe and Emmeline greeted.

"Hey," Lana smiled.

"Hi, Chloe, Emmeline," Nell said.

"Hi."

"Oh, Chloe, how did the sleepover go? Did you two get a lot of studying done?"

Lana's wide eyes darted to Chloe for a second and Chloe looked back at her with a look of confusion. "Uh, I have to be completely honest with you, Nell," Chloe told her. "We didn't study. I invited Em over and we all had a Keanu DVD-a-thon. Once you get lost in those brown eyes, geometry loses its appeal."

"It's true," Emmeline put in. "I've seen _The Matrix_ three times. Well, four now."

"Well, I'm just glad you two had fun," Nell smiled. "Don't let the grades suffer."

"Okay."

"Bye."

She grabbed her purse and got up and left the Talon. Lana smiled broadly and put her hands on the girls' arms.

"Thank you so much, you guys!"

"Yeah, sure!" Chloe said. "If you'd given me more of a heads-up, I could have come up with something a lot better than a Keanu DVD-a-thon."

"Sorry, it was a last-minute thing. I had to get out of the house, so I told Nell I was staying at a friend's place. You were the first person that came to mind."

"Really?"

"Really."

"So, uh, where were you last night? Is there a new guy in Lana Lang's life?"

"Yeah. His name's Dean. You both passed him on the way in."

Chloe's brow furrowed. "You're dating an older man?"

"Relax. He's Nell's new boyfriend. He's an insurance adjuster she met after the tornado. He's always around and they're in this lovey-dovey daze all the time."

"Yeah, and you want to tell them to get a room, but it's her house."

"Tell me about it. After I caught them slow dancing in the living room, I decided to stay at the Talon."

"Well, you know, next time you need to clear out of the love shack, you don't have to lie about it. You can stay at my house for real any time."

"Thanks."

Emmeline looked over at Chloe for a second. She wasn't losing her to Lana, was she?

* * *

The next day, Chloe and Emmeline rushed up to Pete and Clark at school.

"Hey, guys. Why didn't you tell us about the superhero deal?" Chloe demanded. When they both gave her blank looks, she continued, "Pete pulls a guy from a mangled truck and rushes him to the hospital? That's got Torch exclusive written all over it. So how about an interview?"

"Maybe later," Pete said with a hint of annoyance in his tone

"Your reluctance wouldn't be part of a vast conspiracy designed to cover up the whole spaceship thing, would it?"

"What are you talking about?" Clark asked. If Emmeline didn't know any better, she'd say he got kind of nervous.

"My source from the medical center gave me a call. He said that the guy that Pete brought in was rambling on about some alien spacecraft that landed in the cornfield."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

"I don't know. Not unless Pete can corroborate the story."

Pete looked at Clark icily, then said to Chloe without taking his eyes off him, "Sure, Chloe. I saw a spaceship. I even met an alien."

"Really? Would you like to describe it?"

"Actually he looks a lot like Clark."

Chloe and Emmeline raised their eyebrows with a smile. "I thought aliens were little and green," Chloe joked.

"I guess things aren't always what you think they are." He walked away, leaving them with that final statement.

"Okay, what's up with him?" Chloe asked.

"Just guy stuff," Clark answered. "Um, you're not really looking into this UFO story are you? I mean, it sounds like Inquisitor stuff."

"Maybe, but if there is some truth to it, that's front-page news. For the Daily Planet."

* * *

Later that night, Emmeline headed up to Clark's loft to find him looking deep in thought.

"Knock, knock," she said with a smile. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You look upset. And don't try to deny it. When you're a shy person, you learn to read emotions fast."

Clark gave her a half-smile. "Well, first Pete's not talking to me, and then Lana just came by, and our conversation didn't exactly go the way I wanted."

"Well, if you don't mind my asking, what happened with you and her?"

"She told me stuff about her and Whitney, but I didn't want to tell her about what's going on between me and Pete. She didn't take that very well."

"Why not?"

"When I told her that what's on my mind is kind of personal, she got upset because she was sharing personal information with me. She said that if you care about someone, you owe it to them to tell them the truth."

"Well, she's right about that, but Clark, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't want to talk about it. She can't just force you to tell her things you don't want her to know. If it's really that personal, you should only tell people you really want to, like your parents. No one should force you to do something you don't want to do."

"Wow, Em. Where'd that come from?"

She smiled at him. "Call it personal experience."

"Well, thanks. That helps."

"No problem."

* * *

"Hey, guys, have you seen Pete?" Clark asked as he ran up behind them the next morning.

"No, and he was supposed to meet me to help me with some last-minute homework," Emmeline said. "I thought he was with you working out whatever's going on with you guys."

"Well, the weird-meter just kicked up another notch," Chloe said.

"Hospital visitor log," Clark read as she handed him a piece of paper.

"Yeah, um, I was looking into Ray Wallace's death. It turns out he had a visitor drop by just before he flatlined. A certain Dr. Steven Hamilton."

"The meteor freak?"

"Yeah."

"I thought he left Smallville."

"So did I. So Pete plays Good Samaritan and Dr. Hamilton visits the patient."

"The patient dies and Pete disappears," Clark finished.

"It's not exactly a smoking gun, but…"

"You think Pete's in trouble?" Emmeline asked.

"Maybe. I'm gonna go check on Hamilton."

Chloe looked back at the paper. "Okay, well you know, he used to have a place down on Allentown Road. Maybe he's, uh, back there…" The two girls looked up and noticed that Clark was gone. "Clark? Clark?" Chloe looked back at Emmeline. "I hate it when he does that."

"You think Pete's gonna be okay?"

"You know, you've gotten really close with him lately. Anything you wanna tell me?"

"I've told you a hundred times, we're just friends."

"That's what I kept saying about Clark."

"Oh, come on, you know that you'd be the first to know if I was interested in Pete."

"Touché."

* * *

Emmeline went over to Pete's house when school was over, hoping he was the one to answer the door. To her relief, he was.

"Hey!" she smiled. "I'm glad to see you're alright! What happened?"

"It's complicated. Believe me."

"Well, the important thing is that you're okay."

"Why? Were you worried about me?" Pete asked, giving her a playful smirk.

"You're my friend. Of course I was worried."

Pete laughed. "Hey, did you still need help with that homework?"

"Actually, I turned it in earlier today, but thanks."

"In that case, how about you come inside for some cookies Mom just finished making? I've also got _The Matrix_ waiting to be watched."

Emmeline smiled broadly. "Count me in."


	25. Red

"Nothing says 'School Spirit' like a ring that looks like it was jacked from P. Diddy," Chloe said, examining the expensive ring on her finger.

It was that time of year when students could get a ring to remember their high school years forever. Unfortunately, that memory came at a high price of $350. A price Emmeline's family was not willing to pay.

"I think it looks great, Chloe," Clark told her.

"Yeah, I think we'll be lucky if the glue holds through graduation. I wonder if the ruby's even real." She got an inquisitive look on her face and rushed off. Emmeline smiled, knowing she was about to chase off on a lead and there was no stopping her.

"You sure you're gonna do this?" Pete asked Clark as they moved up in line.

"I'm here, aren't I?" Pete just shook his head at him. "What?"

"I believe your dad's exact words were, '$350 is a lot of money to spend on something you really don't need'."

"I earned that money. Besides, my dad said that it was my decision to make."

"Which means that you're really not supposed to buy it."

"I agree with Pete on that one," Emmeline laughed. "It's simple parent logic."

The two boys received their rings and slipped them on. Clark looked different as soon as he put it on, but she couldn't exactly describe it.

Pete must've noticed too because he asked him, "You feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I feel great."

"Excuse me," their principal, Mr. Gibbons, said as he walked up to Lana and another girl.

Emmeline was a bit taken aback at the sight of the new girl at Smallville High. Her face was caked in make-up and she was wearing a sheer black shirt that exposed her midriff…and clearly showed the red bra she had underneath.

"It's Jessie, isn't it?" Mr. Gibbons said to the girl. "Perhaps Miss Lang didn't tell you, but there's a dress code here at Smallville High."

"Lame and lamer?" Jessie said defiantly.

Clark laughed and looked over at Pete and Emmeline.

"You think that's funny, Mr. Kent?" Mr. Gibbons asked angrily.

The girl looked at the principal pointedly. "By the way, I'm not changing."

"Well, perhaps you'd like to discuss your attitude in my office."

They started to walk away when Clark called, "Excuse me, Mr. Gibbons." Mr. Gibbons and Jessie turned around to face him. "I think she looks really hot. And I think that your dress code…sucks."

"Excuse me?"

Lana, Pete, and Emmeline looked at each other in shock. What on earth was going on with him?

"I mean, come on, it's her first day. Cut her some slack. Besides, I don't think you should be the one giving fashion tips."

All of their eyes widened again. Not once had anyone ever seen Clark with such an attitude!

The bell rang, and Mr. Gibbons turned to face Jessie. "Tomorrow, young lady, proper attire, or you're going straight home."

Jessie stared at Clark hungrily, which wouldn't have bothered Emmeline so much if Clark wasn't looking back at her the same way. She was just glad Chloe wasn't here. Having Lana in the picture was bad enough.

"I guess we can finish our tour," Lana laughed uneasily. Jessie stared at Clark some more before leaving with Lana.

"Whoa. Where did that come from?" Pete asked as he and Emmeline came next to him.

"I don't know. But I think I liked it."

Maybe he did, but Emmeline didn't at all.

* * *

After school, Emmeline came up to Clark and Pete and found Jessie writing her number on Clark's hand. She chose to press down the fire that began boiling deep inside her.

"In case you require translation, that was her hitting on you," Pete said as Jessie walked away.

"She is kinda hot."

"But aren't you married to Lana in your imagination?"

"You know, she has the same last name as you, Em?"

"Well, that's interesting," Emmeline said with a thin smile. She was pretty sure they both saw right through it. Only Pete seemed to care.

"Clark!" Lana called. "You and Jessie seem to be making fast friends."

"I'm just trying to make the new girl feel welcome," he said. Noticing her look, he added, "Don't worry, Lana. I haven't taken my eye off you all day."

Pete and Emmeline whipped their heads to stare at him, surprised at this new boldness.

"So, are we still on for that cram session tonight at the Talon?" Lana asked.

"If you're still going to be there, absolutely."

"I'll be there," Pete said.

"Same here," Emmeline added.

Lana laughed, almost embarrassed and walked away from them. Pete just smiled at Clark, seeming to enjoy whatever had given him this new personality. Emmeline just wanted it to stop.

That night, Pete, Chloe, Lana, and Emmeline were gathered in the Talon waiting for Clark to arrive so they could begin studying for their history test.

There was a knock on the door, and Lana went to answer it. Eventually, she and Clark came back and sat down.

"What did you get for number 5?" Chloe asked those at the table.

"Hey man," Pete greeted Clark. "Where are your books?"

"You guys wanna go to a bar?" Clark asked out of the blue.

Chloe scoffed. "Clark, you can commit academic Harikari, but the rest of us really need to cram for this test."

"Besides, none of us are old enough to get into a bar," Emmeline said.

"You guys, high school is supposed to be fun. This is not fun," Clark whined. "Come on, my treat."

"Clark, when did you and the money truck hook up?" Pete joked.

"Since I decided there's no percentage in playing poverty."

"I'm gonna get a refill and I'm gonna get you some decaf," Chloe said, standing up.

"Yeah, Emmeline and I will give you a hand," Lana added. She and Emmeline got up and went over to the cappuccino machine.

Clark looked at the girls at the counter. "Did you know that Chloe had a birthmark on her cheek?"

"No, she doesn't," Pete said without looking up.

"Not that cheek."

Pete looked up in shock to find Clark smiling. "Are you doing what I think you're doing?" Clark just kept on smiling. "Clark, that's Chloe you're scoping, man!"

"Not just Chloe…"

Pete looked up to find Lana and Emmeline standing next to Chloe, right in Clark's line of vision. He didn't know what was going on, but the idea of him taking a peek at those girls, especially Emmeline, made him angrier than he believed it would. He put his hand in front of his face to stop him from looking at them any longer.

"Come on, let's go have some fun," Clark smiled.

"Clark, this test is half our grade. Now, if you want to party this weekend, I'm with you, but right now, I need to do this."

"All right, well, when you're through with, uh, Boring 101, give me a call."

Clark got up and left the Talon, as the girls watched in confusion. They looked at Pete, but he just shrugged his shoulders at them.

* * *

The next morning, after a total cram session that left Emmeline with a headache and a need for a five-hour long massage, everyone was surprised to find Clark ride in on a motorcycle, Jessie clinging onto him on the back.

"Okay, what planet is that guy from, and what did he do with Clark?" Chloe remarked.

Clark pulled into a parking spot and Jessie got off the motorcycle. She handed him the helmet back as Emmeline, Pete, Lana, and Chloe walked over to him.

"So much for the shy and retiring Clark Kent," Lana stated.

"I was just giving her a ride to school," Clark said, eyeing Lana. "Say the word and I'll save you the return trip."

The bell rang before anyone could say anything.

"Catch up with you later."

The girls turned and began walking into school. All three of them looked at each other. That boy was not the one they had all fallen in love with.

Later that day, Pete walked in to the Torch office to find Chloe and Emmeline fiddling with a large rock.

"Pete!" Chloe said excitedly. "You are not going to believe what we found out! Our El Cheapo class rings are, in fact, fake."

"Guys, there's something wrong with Clark," Pete said seriously.

Chloe's brow furrowed. "More than usual?"

"Last night at the Talon, the motorcycle…other stuff…"

"What kind of other stuff?"

"The kind of that has Mr. and Mrs. Kent calling my house. They're really worried. It's like they think he's on drugs or something."

"Clark would have to be on drugs to be on drugs." She nervously took the rock away from him. "Uh, just be careful with that."

"What is it anyway?"

"My exposé. See this lovely $350 piece of school spirit? It's a rip-off. The jewelry company was substituting worthless meteor rocks for rubies to save money."

"Let me tell you how relieved I am that I didn't buy one now," Emmeline put in.

"Uh, guys, the ring's red. Meteor rocks are green," Pete said.

"Not the load they found near Hobbes Pond," Chloe told him. "Note the red vein." Pete took the rock from her. "You can read all about it on page one of today's Torch."

A look of panic crossed his face and he rushed out of the room.

"Uh, uh…Pete!" Chloe called. She looked back at Emmeline. "He took my rock!"

* * *

"Hey," Chloe said to Lana as she and Emmeline walked into the Talon.

"Hey!" Lana answered.

"So I heard from a source that you had a big date with Clark last night."

"Chloe, try not to sound like you want to kill her," Emmeline muttered so Lana couldn't hear.

"I wouldn't call it a date when the guy you came with leaves with someone else," Lana told them.

Chloe paused. "Wow. You just went from the gossip column to page one." Lana gave her a hard look. "Sorry. Sometimes my glib-o-meter goes into overdrive."

"No. I guess, you know, he's so secretive. I guess I was thrown for a loop by the Clark who could say all the things that the old Clark couldn't."

"Well, welcome to the conundrum that is Clark Kent. Part knight-in-shining armor, part 'Where did that come from?'"

"Miss? Can I get a refill here?" a customer called.

"Uh, yeah, yeah, just a second," Lana called back.

"Thanks!"

Chloe and Emmeline headed out to go back to the Torch, neither really happy with how Clark acted with Lana. Even if they were jealous she got to go on a date with him.

* * *

"Em."

Emmeline turned around to find Clark approaching her. She must've looked nervous because he started laughing.

"I don't bite. Since when did you get nervous around me?"

"I get nervous around everyone. You know that."

"Not me, you don't. You haven't for a while now. I thought we were good friends."

"We are. But this whole change you're going through is kind of…not what I like to hang around. I'm sorry."

She started to walk away, but Clark slammed his hand onto the locker, blocking her escape, which made her jump. "Don't walk away from me, Em. You don't walk away from friends."

"I don't know what's going on with you, but you're scaring me, Clark."

"Maybe that's because you spend all your time retreating into that little shell of yours. If you haven't noticed, getting out of the shell is a thousand times more fun. Take a look at me."

"I think I prefer the shell."

"Whatever, Em. You stay cooped up too long, you're just going to end up missing out on everything life has to offer. Including love. Your choice to stay alone."

He walked away from her and Emmeline felt her eyes watering up. Clark had just stated out loud what her worst fear had always been. That she would die alone and unloved because she was too shy to do anything about it.

She rushed off to head towards the bathroom and lock herself in a stall for a while when she crashed into Pete.

"Em?" he asked quickly. "What's wrong?"

She didn't say anything to him. She just clutched her books to her chest and ran to the bathroom where Pete couldn't follow.

That was the last straw for him. He left the school and headed for the Kent farm.

* * *

There was a knock on Emmeline's door, and when she went to answer it, Clark stood before her.

"Relax," he said, noticing her tense up. "I'm back to normal."

Her shoulders sank again, and Clark's heart panged as he saw her red eyes.

"What happened with you?" she asked him.

"It's…complicated."

"I get that from you a lot."

"I know, and I wish I could explain more, but it's not that easy."

"It's okay. I'm not going to force you to tell me. I told you that the other day in your loft. And speaking as someone who completely changed their personality due to a flower, I'll just have to accept that what happened to you happened, and it's over now."

"Em…I really am sorry…for what I said. I didn't really mean it."

"I want to be mad at you, Clark. Really I do. But all I can keep thinking about is the time you saved me from Greg, and the time that you were there for me when Chloe was injured, and the times where you took me out of my house during the summer so I wasn't alone because Chloe was in Metropolis. And when I think about all of that…I just can't be mad at you for acting up this one time."

"So you forgive me?"

"No, not yet." Clark's eyes saddened a little. "But I'm not mad at you."

Clark smiled a little at her and walked away. Emmeline closed the door and leaned against it.

Why did so many things have to happen in her life that offered no explanations?


	26. Nocturne

Emmeline always thought it would be nice to get a love letter. But of course, it was Lana who got one, not her.

"Ah, the sentiment's nice. But the fact that you found this in a graveyard seems a little Amityville," Chloe told her as she finished reading the letter.

"I think it's kind of romantic," Lana smiled. "I haven't had a love letter since third grade. It seems like a lost art."

"Not true, not true. This morning in Trig, I intercepted a note from a wrestler to a cheerleader. It wasn't exactly poetic, but, um, he definitely got his point across."

"Who do you think wrote it?" Pete asked Lana.

"I have no idea," Lana answered.

They all walked into the Torch office, and Clark ended up coming in behind them.

"Hey, guys," he greeted. "So, what's going on?"

"Lana has a secret admirer," Chloe said teasingly.

"It's nothing," Lana insisted.

"What do you mean nothing? What happened to romantic?"

Pete took the letter and handed it to Clark. "Just let the boy read it."

Clark looked it over uneasily. "It's a little mushy."

"I almost forgot. Clark Kent, the man of steel," Lana said with an icy tone in her voice. The room silenced for a little bit as the tension between Clark and Lana became painfully obvious. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye," everyone said as she left the room.

"If you ask me, it sounds more like a stalker than a secret admirer," Clark told the others.

"Careful, Clark," Emmeline said with a playful smile. "You're starting to sound a little jealous."

* * *

The phone rang at Emmeline's house very late at night. Emmeline drowsily got up and answered it before her parents woke up.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver.

"Emmeline?"

"Yes, it's her."

"It's Nell."

"Hey. Is something wrong?"

"Lana hasn't come home yet. I was wondering if you knew where she was."

"Uh, no, but I'll go look for her. Smallville's only so big."

"You're a lifesaver, Emmeline."

"Don't worry about it."

Being careful not to wake her parents, Emmeline grabbed the keys and took the car around Smallville. Eventually, she was able to find Lana near her parents' gravesite. Clark was there with another boy who appeared to be unconscious.

"Lana?" she called.

"Emmeline, what are you doing here?" Lana asked.

"Nell called. She was looking for you, and I figured I'd find you here. What's going on?"

"We need to get him out of here. We'll take him to the Talon. Do you have a car?"

"Yeah, I brought Mom's. Get him inside."

Clark carefully lifted the boy up and placed him in the backseat of Emmeline's car. Lana sat with him while Clark was in the passenger's seat and Emmeline drove them all to the Talon. Once there, they got the boy conscious again and treated his wound.

"Who are you?" the boy asked Emmeline shyly.

"I'm Emmeline," she answered just as shy. "I'm the one who drove you here."

"Byron."

She handed him a cold pack and he placed it on the back of his head. Meanwhile, Lana made him some coffee and gave him a couple slices of cake, both of which he scarfed down as if he had been in the desert for years.

"I can't believe I passed out," Byron said.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Clark apologized.

"It's okay, Clark. You were protecting a beautiful young lady. It was chivalrous." He looked over at Lana. "You're lucky to have a boyfriend who cares so much about you."

The tension in the room started to rise again. "Clark—Clark's just a friend," Lana said quickly. "Uh, an overprotective one."

"'If I could write the beauty of your eyes, and number all your graces, the age to come would say this poet lies. Such heavenly touches ne'er touched earthly faces'."

"That was beautiful."

"Which poet wrote that?" Clark asked, trying to hide his annoyance.

"Shakespeare," Emmeline smiled. She looked over at Byron. "What about this one? 'Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all'."

Byron smiled at her. "Emily Dickinson. 'A thing of beauty is a joy forever'."

"John Keats."

"Wow, Em," Clark said. "I didn't know you were such a poetry fan."

"You have to remember, Clark, that I didn't talk to anyone at all prior to meeting you. I had to fill all that time with something."

"I can't imagine being home schooled and never seeing anybody," Lana changed the subject. If Emmeline didn't know any better, she'd say Lana was getting a little jealous of her. That was a switch.

"You don't miss what you never had," Byron said sadly.

"It seems like you don't get out much. Uh, your parents pretty strict?" Clark asked.

"They only want what's best for me."

The sound of a car parking outside broke the silence in the room.

"That's our milk delivery," Lana said, surprised so much time had passed.

Byron sprang up from his seat. "What time is it?"

"Quarter to five," Clark answered.

"If my parents wake up…"

He ran out of the Talon and Emmeline drove as fast as she could to where he lived. As soon as she pulled in, he hurriedly unbuckled his seatbelt.

"You want us to come in and tell your parents what happened?" Clark asked.

"No, I'll be fine." Byron bolted out of the car and ran up to the house. His mom came out looking panicked, followed by his father pointing a shotgun at him.

Clark, Lana, and Emmeline got out of the car and went up to his father.

"Byron!" Clark called.

"Go away!" Byron yelled.

His father pointed his shotgun at the three of them. "I better not catch you around my son again! Now get out before I shoot you for trespassing!"

The three of them hurriedly left the property and drove to Clark's house. They entered in on what appeared to be a heated discussion between his parents.

"Clark? Lana? Emmeline? You three been out all night?" Jonathon asked suspiciously.

"No, it's not what you think," Clark said. "Um, we met this kid and we think that his parents are abusing him."

The Kents called Sheriff Ethan and they all went back over to Byron's house. Ethan knocked on the door and his parents answered.

"Mrs. Moore?" Ethan said. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I'd like to speak to your son."

"I'm afraid that's not possible, sheriff," his father said.

"Where is he?" Clark demanded.

"Clark, let the sheriff handle this, please," Jonathon told his son sternly.

"He's not in any trouble," Ethan insisted.

"Look, I don't know what's going on here sheriff, but our son is dead," Mr. Moore told them.

"He drowned out in Crater Lake eight years ago," Mrs. Moore added.

Lana frowned. "We just met him last night."

"My son says that you threatened him," Jonathon said.

"I've never seen these kids before in my life," Mr. Moore yelled. "Look, it's taken all these years to get past this, and then you show up and pull a prank like this. What kind of parent would raise a child to do a wicked thing like that?"

"We're awfully sorry," Ethan apologized. "Look, Jonathan, I think we should go."

The Moores closed the door and everyone started to leave.

"They're lying," Lana said.

"We saw him go in that house," Clark added.

Ethan sighed. "This is a very awkward situation, Jonathan."

"I know it is, Ethan, but if there's even a chance that young man's in trouble, we wouldn't want that on our conscience."

"I'll get a warrant."

* * *

Emmeline drove home to some very angry parents. It took some time, but she was able to explain the whole situation to them, and eventually they understood what was going on.

Emmeline then booked it to school and met up with Clark, Lana, and Chloe in the Torch office. Chloe had just finished printing out what looked to be like a death certificate.

"Hey, what's going on?" she asked.

"It looks like your tortured artist is an unfortunate member of the 'dead poets' society'," Chloe explained. "The certificate of death was signed by Dr. Emil Jenkins."

"It's got to be fake," Clark said.

"Not that I don't trust your judgment, but could it be possible that goth boy maybe is—"

"I don't think a ghost could polish off three pieces of cake and two cappuccinos," Lana interrupted with a smile.

"I was just checking, I mean this is Smallville. Well, I ran Dr. Jenkins' name through the computer and found out something very interesting. Eight years ago, he supervised a medical file over at Metron Pharmaceuticals."

"Let me guess. Byron was a participant?" Clark put together.

"Yeah, they were all kids who had exhibited antisocial behavior."

Everyone grabbed their things and started heading to their class.

"But it doesn't sound like Byron. He's so gentle," Lana said.

"Could it be that our new Shakespeare has a-stirred the heart of our young Juliet?" Chloe joked.

"It's just nice to meet someone who's so honest with their feelings. I don't have to guess what they're thinking. We have to start looking for Byron."

"No, we should wait to see what the sheriff finds," Clark said from behind them.

From the look on Lana's face, she didn't really care for that idea.

* * *

Later that day, Emmeline learned that Clark and Pete went to find Byron, they took him out in the sun, he turned into a beast, Pete got injured in the process and was in the hospital, and Byron was missing.

Emmeline was more weirded out by the fact that she wasn't weirded out.

Chloe grabbed her and they all went to the Talon to find Lana and Clark.

"Okay, so I think I figured out why our would-be Shakespeare went all pro-wrestler on you." Lana continued glaring over at Clark. "Jeez, is it just me, or did it get cold in here?"

Clark took the papers from her. "What'd you find?"

"Um, well, the drug that Byron was given during the medical trials targeted his adrenal system."

"It says here they were looking for a cure. We need to track down the company."

"It's too late. Metron Pharmaceuticals was shut down before they even finished their research."

"Why would they do that?" Lana asked.

"I don't know, but maybe Clark should ask his mom's new boss."

"Lionel Luthor owns Metron," Clark said as more of a statement than a question.

"Just one of the many LuthorCorp subsidiaries that promise us a brighter future."

"I'll talk to Lex."

"Um, we'd love to help you, but Pete just sent out an S.O.S. for his Playstation 2, so good luck."

Chloe and Emmeline drove down to the hospital and went to Pete's room.

"How are you feeling?" Emmeline asked.

"I've been better," he answered.

"Maybe this will help." She and Chloe pulled out his Playstation and began hooking it up to the hospital TV.

"You guys are the best."

"I know!"

Chloe handed him one of the controllers and he immediately began playing one of his games.

"Anyone figure out Byron yet?" Pete asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Clark's working on something," Chloe told him. "I just hope he can deal with Beast enough to get Beauty back."

"Beauty and the Beast," Emmeline mumbled. "That's it."

"What?"

She looked up at them. "I have to go."

"Em!"

Emmeline booked it out of the hospital and tried to find Byron. She went to the cemetery and found Lana knocked out on the ground.

"Lana!" She ran over to her and carefully got her awake again. "Are you alright?"

Lana sighed. "Clark was right."

"Can you get to the hospital?"

"Yes, I'll be fine."

"Where did Byron go?"

"I don't know. I told him about LuthorCorp and the experiments, and that Clark was going to talk with Lex."

"He's going after Lionel. Get to the hospital before you get hurt."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I know how to stop this."

Emmeline drove down to the Luthor mansion where Lionel was sure to be. She heard commotion coming from the back and quickly ran back.

There she saw Martha, Clark, and Lionel on the ground, Byron getting ready to attack them.

"Byron!" Emmeline called.

He turned around to face her. He looked really scary because of his transformation, but she held her ground.

"It's okay! It's just me, Emmeline!"

"Em, get out of here!" Clark said.

"No, I know what I'm doing." She started slowly walking towards him. "We're not so different. I know what it's like to be locked away from the world. To feel like you have no one out there to call friend. But unlike you, I did it by choice. I locked myself away, and I had no one to call friend. I understand you, Byron. More than anyone else can."

By now, she was close enough to him. She went up to him and embraced him tightly. He tensed up a lot, and for a moment, she thought he was going to toss her off him. She lightly kissed his cheek and squeezed her arms around him once more. Then finally, she felt his arms tighten around her back. It hurt a little because of the fact that he wasn't human and was therefore stronger, but she couldn't get over the fact that this was the first time she had ever embraced someone of the opposite sex like this who wasn't a family member. Sure, he was a beast, but it counted.

Clark used this time to get Byron back into the darkness.

"Emmeline?" Byron said, having changed back into himself.

Emmeline released him and smiled broadly. She couldn't believe that had actually worked.

* * *

Byron was taken to the hospital, and Emmeline went to his room to go see him.

"Byron?" she said as she stepped in. Clark and Lana were already inside.

"Hey, Emmeline."

"How are you feeling?"

"Not bad."

"Lana, how's your wrist?"

"Uh, it'll be better in a couple of days," Lana answered.

"I can't believe I…" Byron started.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I know it wasn't you."

"You were brave to come and find me."

"A friend warned me to be careful. I should have listened to him. And I think Emmeline was braver. She's the one who actually helped."

Emmeline smiled shyly and walked up next to Byron's hospital bed. "Actually, it was something Chloe said. I kinda just pieced together what would help."

"Thanks," Byron smiled. "You didn't have to do that. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. A couple bruises, but nothing serious."

Lana and Clark discreetly left, but neither Byron nor Emmeline really noticed.

"How'd you know what to do?" Byron asked her.

"I figured that you may have changed, but you still wanted someone who loved you, despite that. I thought I would give you what you wanted until we could get you back to normal." She laughed lightly. "You know, that was the first…well, bold thing I've done pretty much ever. It felt good."

"Thank you, Emmeline."

"You can call me Em. All my good friends do."

"Em. It's pretty."

"Thanks."


	27. Redux

Because it was Smallville, the residents could not go long without something strange happening. The next strange thing to happen was someone to turn into an old man in a matter of seconds.

"I see Troy's death has officially joined the ranks of the unexplained and bizarre," Pete said, noticing Chloe was tacking up a newspaper article on the Wall of Weird.

"Big time," Chloe answered. "The official report said he died of an acute onset of the rapid aging disease progeria."

"I thought that made you age over the course of ten years, not ten seconds," Clark said as he entered the room.

"Exactly. The coroner's running a genetic test to tell whether Troy had progeria, or if it was just—"

"Something unexplained and bizarre," Pete finished.

"Well, good luck investigating. You'll probably need a hall pass from our new principal," Clark said sarcastically.

"Clark, a lot of schools have a closed campus policy," Chloe told him.

"Yeah. Why are you so worked up?" Pete asked.

"I had a run in with him this morning. He busted me for being late, threatened to keep his eye on me," Clark explained.

"Wow. Clark Kent's on the principal's bad boy list. There's a first time for everything," Pete joked. "Next thing we hear, Em is going to be on it too."

"You're hilarious, Pete," Emmeline said dryly.

"The guy's a real hard case," Clark continued, unhappy with Pete's jokes.

"Right," Chloe smirked. "First with the lockdown, the next thing you know, he'll be burning books in the student parking lot."

"Well, laugh now. Wait till he comes after the Torch."

"Uh-uh, see I did some digging on our Principal Reynolds to find out what his views were on the fourth estate."

Clark looked over the paper she handed him. "Harvard B.A., PhD at Columbia in education, taught at exclusive prep schools all over Europe and the East Coast. That's a pretty impressive résumé."

"Yeah, it is, and his name was even being mentioned as the new head of the Metropolis Board of Education until one day he was summarily dismissed from his position at Excelsior Prep, and he doesn't work again until he resurfaces here."

"So how does a guy on the fast track suddenly end up in Smallville?"

"I don't know, but I don't think he's Wall of Weird material," Pete said.

"Yeah, Clark," Chloe laughed. "Just because the guy doesn't immediately love you like every other teacher in this school doesn't mean that he's hiding some dark past."

"Not just teachers," Emmeline muttered under her breath. Clark didn't seem to notice, but Chloe did, and it took a lot for her to keep in her laughter.

Later that day, Chloe was doing some research on Troy and Emmeline was doing more proofreading when Clark walked in.

"Hey, Chloe. Hey, Em."

"Hey, Clark," Chloe smiled. "Oh, Clark, you might want to disappear for the next hour or so."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm about to interview your new best friend Principal Reynolds."

"Oh, thanks for the heads-up." He looked over at her furiously at work on her computer. "Hey, what do you got there?"

"Do you remember my buddy Chad that works at the M.E.'s office?"

"Yeah, the guy with the black fingernail polish and lipstick."

"Oh, it's hard being Smallville's only goth. Anyway, he sent me the autopsy report of Troy. It's amazing what lending someone your eyeliner can get you these days."

Clark looked at the report over her shoulder as Emmeline came over to the two of them. "So Troy didn't have progeria."

"No, but his pituitary gland, which by the way produces the hormone that controls the aging process, was completely drained. It's like someone just sucked the youth right out of him."

"Well, that's quite an assumption, Miss Sullivan," a voice said behind them. They all turned to find their new principal standing in the doorway.

"Uh, Principal Reynolds," Chloe said flustered. "I was just, um, running through various scenarios, you know, wild theories and stuff. I'm shutting up now."

Emmeline thought back to when Principal Kwan shut down the Torch because of Chloe's stories, and she didn't want a repeat with the new principal. But what he said next surprised her.

"Well, don't. I like my students thinking outside the box. I've been reading some back issues of the Torch. I see a lot of creativity and insight there."

"You're kidding."

"Well, unverified insight. But many a Pulitzer has sprung from the seeds of wild theories. Just make sure you can back them up, and that'll be the difference between writing trash for Inquisitor, and reporting for the Daily Planet." He looked over at Emmeline. "I don't believe we've met yet."

"I'm Emmeline," she said quietly as she shook his hand. "I proofread all the issues."

"Well, from what I've read, it looks like you're doing your job right. Just don't live in the shadows forever. Sometimes you have to step up and stand in the spotlight."

Emmeline decided not to tell him that the spotlight was certainly not for her.

"Uh, are you still up for that interview?" Chloe asked him.

"Well, give me half an hour." Clark started to leave, but he said, "Mr. Kent, I was actually looking for you. I'd like to see you in my office."

Emmeline pressed her lips together in a smile and looked over at Chloe as the two men left the room. "Clark Kent, troublemaker. I don't think it fits."

"How about Clark Kent, boyfriend?"

"Now that sounds good."

* * *

Emmeline headed to the Talon for a coffee when she saw Clark surrounded by balls of crumpled paper. "Hey, Clark. What's up?"

"Principal Reynolds said I was a slacker and then assigned me an essay about where I see myself in five years."

"You? A slacker? The nerve of that man."

"Very funny, Em."

Emmeline laughed a little then sat across from him. "So what have you got so far?"

"Honestly? I don't have a clue."

"I can see that," she said, referring to all the balls of paper.

"I guess I never really thought much about what I was going to do after high school."

"That makes two of us."

"What are your plans?"

"I wish I had something to tell you. I only do the Torch as an extracurricular and that's about it. Anything having to do with public speaking is out of the question. Or the public in general."

"You say that, Em, but you've actually become a lot less shy since the beginning of last year. I don't think you should cancel out the public just yet."

"Well, I'll leave you to work on this. Good luck."

* * *

The next day, Emmeline was walking with Pete and Clark when Chloe came bounding up to them.

"Hey, did you guys hear about Russell? They found his body behind the Talon."

"I just saw him yesterday. What happened?" Clark asked.

"He aged like 100 years. The police thought it was some old homeless guy until they found Russell's license in his wallet."

"Two progeria deaths in two days. What are the odds of that?"

"I don't know. Lana wanted to cancel the Spirit Week party, but Principal Reynolds asked her not to. He said he wanted to keep things as normal as possible."

"He obviously hasn't had his normal-meter reset for Smallville," Pete remarked.

They looked over at Clark and saw him staring intently at Chrissy. Not the weird kind of intently he did a lot, as if he was trying to see through the object, but just intently.

"What is it, Clark?" Chloe asked him.

"I saw Russell with Chrissy at the Talon. And Troy was with her just before he went geriatric."

"It's not exactly a smoking gun."

"It's worth a look. Maybe we could check out her old school records, see if there's anything strange in her background."

"Okay, I'll get started and I'll tell you what I find."

She and Emmeline went to the Torch office and Chloe began furiously researching Chrissy's background.

"Hey, Chloe, where do you see yourself in five years?" Emmeline asked.

"Working at the Daily Planet," she answered without hesitation. "Why?"

"I don't know, Clark got this assignment from Principal Reynolds about that, and it's just got me thinking how much we don't know about our future."

"Well, if we knew everything, life wouldn't be much fun."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I am. I'm always right."

Emmeline scoffed loudly at the obvious lie. She researched for quite a long time, and Emmeline was getting really bored when she heard Chloe whisper, "Holy crap."

Clark walked into the Torch per Chloe calling him a million times not long after.

"Clark, where have you been?" Chloe demanded. "I just left you like six messages."

"Sorry, it's been a very weird day."

"Well, it's about to get weirder. Take a look at this." She pulled up a newspaper clipping onto her computer. "Florida, 12 years ago, Piper High School. Three students died of the same mysterious uber-progeria."

"All within a 48-hour period. Let me guess. Chrissy was involved."

"Try Missy." Chloe pulled up a picture of Chrissy from 12 years ago. She looked the exact same. "Class of '90, Missy Parker. Different name, same face."

"Yeah, it gets better." She pulled up another picture with the name Robin Stroud on top.

"Lakewood High, Class of '81. There she is again."

"You're not gonna believe this, Clark, but I matched Chrissy to triple progeria cases going all the way back to Hammonds School for Girls, Class of 1921."

"It's like she's feeding off their youth to stay eternally young."

"It takes the Peter Pan complex to a whole new level."

"Troy was killed almost two days ago, and Russell was killed yesterday. Chrissy's gonna need another victim."

"I'll call the police." Chloe reached for the phone while Emmeline looked at Chloe's computer and the pictures of Chrissy. When they both looked up, Clark was gone. "Clark?" She turned to Emmeline. "Have I mentioned I hate it when he does that?"

"I've gotta learn how he gets out of places so fast. I want to use that one."

* * *

After Clark successfully defeated Chrissy, and decided that in the world of journalism is where he would be in five years, he returned to school with a much happier expression. At least until he saw Emmeline. She was sitting with her back against the wall and her head in her hands, the sleeves pulled up so much that he only saw the tips of her fingers. He saw her body shake a couple times and realized she was crying.

"Hey, Em, are you alright?" he asked as he sat down next to her.

She turned away from him and wiped tears off her cheeks. "I'm fine."

"Come on, you can talk to me." He cautiously sat down beside her. His heart panged for her when he saw how red her eyes were, signaling she had been crying for a while.

Emmeline looked over at Clark. His brow was furrowed together in that really cute way whenever he was concerned.

"It's my mom, Clark," she choked out.

"What happened?"

"She's been diagnosed with cancer."

Emmeline began to cry all over again. Clark slowly put his arms around her and she sank into his embrace as she sobbed against his chest.


	28. Lineage

"So Hera freaks out because Zeus has been two-timing her, with a mere mortal no less," Chloe attempted to sum up as the four of them walked out of Greek Mythology. "So she sends a bunch of snakes to kill Hercules, who is the illegitimate babe in the cradle. It's just family dysfunction of Dionysian proportion."

"Sounds like these people ought to be on Ricki Lake," Pete joked.

"While I don't condone her behavior, Zeus did break his wedding vows."

"Doesn't give her the right to go 'Fatal Attraction' on him," Clark argued.

Chloe laughed as turned as Clark stopped at his locker. "Hey, Clark, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

She, Pete, and Emmeline continued walking down the halls.

"Hey, Em, how's your mom doing?" Chloe asked her.

"She's starting treatments soon," Emmeline answered. "So we're just going to go from there." There was a bit of silence between them before she added tearfully, "It's just not fair, you know?"

Chloe and Pete put their arms around her. "Yeah, I know."

Emmeline had never been more grateful for their friendship.

The next day, Emmeline and Chloe walked into the Talon office to find Clark on Chloe's computer.

"Sure Clark, you can use my computer. Knock yourself out," Chloe joked.

Clark looked at Chloe hardly. "You've been getting emails from Rachel Dunleavy."

Chloe froze and turned to him as Emmeline wanted to become invisible. It looked like another Clark/Chloe confrontation was going to take place, and those were things she absolutely hated to witness.

"You've been reading my emails?" Chloe asked.

"You promised me you'd stop digging into my adoption."

"All I did was post a few notices on adoption websites, to see if I could get some hits. This Dunleavy woman responded."

Clark jumped out of the chair and furiously turned to her. "Oh, so you said 'Why don't you check out my buddy Clark? He may be your son!'"

"You have to believe me, I didn't tell her anything about you, Clark."

"So it's just a coincidence she shows up in Smallville claiming to be my mom?"

"She's here? Clark, what makes you so sure that she's not the real thing?"

"I am not giving you an exclusive on my life!"

"You're not even curious that she might be your biological mom?"

"Why are you so obsessed about my mother? Do I ask you questions about yours?"

Chloe's face saddened. "No, I guess not."

"Yeah, that's because she hasn't shown her face here in years! If you want to find somebody's mother, find your own!"

"I know where she is, Clark! The difference is she's not interested in me."

A guilty look flashed across Clark's face for a second. Emmeline frowned at him. He had taken that way, way too far.

Clark started out of the office, but Chloe called after him, "Since you'll probably never speak to me again, there's something you might want to know. Metropolis United Charities was founded by Lionel Luthor."

Clark paused and then continued out the door. Emmeline immediately rushed to Chloe's side.

"I am so sorry, Chloe," she said. "He shouldn't have said that."

"It's not all his fault," Chloe cried. "I shouldn't have posted anything after he had made it clear he didn't want me involved. I just don't understand why he wouldn't be curious."

"Well, he's lived this way his whole life. It's his normal. For someone to come and start messing that normal up, it just starts getting difficult."

"But don't you want to meet your parents?"

"Yes, someday I suppose. I don't know. It's…complicated."

"I wish I'd known that. Maybe then I wouldn't have pulled this stupid stunt."

"You had the best intentions in mind. And knowing Clark, you guys will make up in a few days."

"I don't know this time."

Chloe grabbed her things and left the office with Emmeline tagging behind her. Pretty soon, Lana walked up behind them.

"Chloe! Hey, I've been looking for you everywhere." When she saw Chloe's teary face, she asked genuinely concerned, "What's wrong?"

"Clark and I just had a massive blow-out," Chloe admitted.

"About what?"

"His secrets, privacy, my pathological inability to curb my curiosity."

"The topic of moms came up too, which is kind of a sore subject for everyone right now," Emmeline added.

Lana nodded, knowing about the cancer.

"How are you?" Chloe asked with fake cheeriness.

"Hey, we can talk about it later."

"No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dump on you."

"If you can't dump on your friends…"

"Exactly. So, what did you want to talk about?"

Lana pushed the two of them towards the lockers. She took out a picture of a man and a woman out on a picnic.

"His name's Henry Small," she told them.

"As in the Smallville Smalls?"

"Very own first family."

"Well, who's the hottie hanging all over him?"

There was a pause before Lana finally stated, "My mom."

"Oh, I'm—I'm sorry, Lana—"

"It's okay. You didn't know. I think he may be my biological father."

"Wow. You okay?"

"I think so. I want to find out everything there is to know about him. And I thought maybe you could help." When Chloe didn't answer right away, she added quickly, "But if you don't feel comfortable, it's—"

"Actually, I'm flattered. It's nice that someone trusts us enough with their big family secret."

"Then you'll do it?"

"You know, I could tell you where he went to college, I can tell you how many outstanding parking tickets he has, I can even pull up his dental records and let you know if he flosses regularly. But if you really want to know who he is, I would suggest using the high tech research device called the doorbell."

The three girls smiled at each other, before Lana walked away.

"Wow," Emmeline breathed. "I think we've hit the serious friendship mark. And two parents in one day. I'm waiting for one or both of my parents to show up now."

"Wouldn't that be something?"

Emmeline headed home and found her mom and dad in the living room.

"Hey, Mom," she smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine for now. We actually wanted to talk to you." Her mother motioned for her to take a seat on the couch. "Listen, honey, I know that this is going to be hard for you, but I don't want you to focus too much on me and lose focus on school or your friends. I'm going to be fine, alright? The doctors have said that the cancer should be easy to remove. I've just got a difficult run ahead of me."

"I know. But you're Super Mom. You can handle anything."

Her mother laughed. "I'm glad you see me that way."

"I'm going to get some homework taken care of."

"Alright."

Emmeline headed back upstairs and took out her books. Then the thought of her bedridden mother getting cancer treatment filled her mind and she couldn't help but begin to cry.

* * *

The next day, Chloe and Emmeline were at Chloe's locker when Clark came rushing up to them.

"Chloe, I'm so glad I found you."

Chloe's eyebrows furrowed. "Okay, there's a sentence I never thought I'd hear again."

His eyes softened a little. "We both did and said things that we regret. I know I did."

"Look, you have to believe that I would burn my press pass if I thought it would come between us."

Clark just smiled. "No, you wouldn't. It's too much of who you are. And right now, I need it."

The three of them went to the Torch office and Chloe went straight to her computer and began researching.

"If Rachel Dunleavy did buy a house in Smallville, she'll be listed with the county clerk. It's just going to take a minute to get a hit."

Clark came over and sat next to her. "Chloe, what I said about your mother…I was way out of line."

"It's cool," Chloe shrugged. "We all have family secrets, I guess. She left when I was five, so…I came downstairs and….there was my dad, trying to make waffles. He never even really explained why she left. It was weird."

Emmeline's heart panged for her best friend. Why did all of them have family problems?

"I'm sorry."

Chloe turned to him teary-eyed. "It's just hard thinking you weren't good enough for someone to love."

Clark gently put his hand on hers. "Don't ever think that."

They looked at each other for a solid five seconds, and Emmeline was secretly hoping that they would start kissing. Unfortunately, the computer beeped and ruined the moment.

"Oh, uh, there is no record of Rachel Dunleavy," Chloe confirmed.

Clark paced a little bit around the room before saying, "Um, try the name Lucas Luthor."

"Okay, you're going to have to explain that one to us later." She typed in the name and an address came up onto her computer. "Oh. Bingo. There's his address."

The two girls looked around and saw that Clark was gone.

"Ten bucks he doesn't explain where he got the name Lucas Luthor," Emmeline said.

"I will gladly not take that bet," Chloe smiled.

"And hey, if you ever want to talk about your mom, I'm here for you."

"I know. The same goes for you."

* * *

The sound of footsteps sounded on the steps to Clark's loft. He turned and saw Emmeline coming up. It pleased him that she was becoming a familiar face up here.

"Hey," she smiled. "I guess we've heard the last of Rachel Dunleavy."

"I guess so. So, um, how's your mom?"

"That's the number one question people seem to ask lately. It's okay, I ask her the same thing every time I walk through the door."

"When's she starting her treatments?"

"This Friday."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

From the tone of her voice, she didn't sound too happy. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, it's not that. It's just…once she starts these treatments, she's going to look different. She's going to look sicker, and then she'll lose her hair, and she'll be really pale and thin. And she won't look like my mother."

"But all of this is just a phase, and then she'll get better and be back to normal."

"I just…can't stop thinking about how my mother, the person who raised me to be who I am, is going through this and all of the hardships she's about to face. It just isn't fair."

"She's going to get through this, Emmeline. I promise."


	29. Ryan

If there was one person, Emmeline missed, it was Ryan James. She'd sent a few emails back and forth with him, but lately she hadn't heard very much. From what Clark told them, she figured out why.

According to Clark, Ryan called him in a panic, saying that he was being held against his will at a place called Summerholt.

"I just keep thinking I missed something," Clark said to Pete and Emmeline as they all headed to the Torch. "Some clue in his email, some sign that things weren't okay. I guess I just wasn't listening."

"I feel the same way," Emmeline told him. "When his emails got less frequent, I just assumed he got busy. I should've tried harder to stay in contact with him."

"I know Ryan means a lot to you guys, but you gotta cut yourselves some slack. Second-guessing isn't gonna help," Pete said.

"Hey, um, remember that really cute guy Heinrich who works at the phone company?" Chloe said as she came over to them.

"Yeah, you mean the Hungarian one with the toy scooter?"

"He's Austrian and it's a classic Vespa, but anyway, he was able to trace Ryan's call back to its point of origin."

"You found something," Clark said eagerly.

"Summerholt Neurological Institute. But it's not in Edge City, it's in Metropolis."

"Well, that explains why we couldn't find it."

"Yeah, but the weird thing is that Summerholt is strictly a research facility. They don't even take patients. And if they did, why would Ryan be in lockdown in a place that specializes in super-esoteric brain research?"

Clark looked confused, but Emmeline couldn't help thinking that there was something he wasn't telling them. In all honesty, that really shouldn't have surprised her anymore.

* * *

The second Emmeline found out that Clark had gotten Ryan out of Summerholt and he was now under protective custody of the Kents, it took all of her willpower to not bust down the door to the Kent farm to see him. Chloe convinced her to put on a surprise party at the Talon, so she had to go there and get ready for him.

"Oh, he's coming!" Chloe cried. She dimmed the lights and everyone stood in a large bunch in the middle of the room.

When Ryan and Clark walked in, the lights came up and everyone yelled, "Surprise!"

"It's your jailbreak party!" Chloe said as she ran up to the boys. "We even have the obligatory pistachio log ice cream cake and we managed to rustle up a band."

"This is so cool!" Ryan said. "Thanks, guys."

Emmeline raised her eyebrows a little. Ryan's voice had gotten a lot deeper since the last time she had seen him!

"Good to see you, man," Pete smiled.

"I'm so glad you're back!" Lana laughed before kissing him on the cheek.

"Wow," Ryan breathed. "Yeah, me too."

Emmeline rolled her eyes then smiled broadly. "Alright, my turn. Come here, Ryan!" She hugged Ryan tightly and didn't want to let go. She hadn't realized how much she had really missed him.

"I've missed you, Em."

"I've missed you more."

"Oh, thanks for that book. It's been a real lifesaver. I've read it like 15 times."

"No problem. I'm glad you liked it."

Emmeline and Chloe listened to the band, even though she wanted to talk to Ryan until they ran out of things to talk about. That was the first time that had ever happened with anyone.

However, when she was about to go talk to him, he got up and left with Clark, holding his head in pain. She was really concerned, and made a mental note to ask him what was going on.

Evidently, she didn't need to. Clark called her the next day to let her know that Ryan had been admitted to the hospital after passing out at Lex's house.

She rushed there as fast as she could and headed to Ryan's room. Clark was already inside.

"Hey," she said as she walked in. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm…alright," Ryan said slowly.

"My parents said the doctor's going to run some more tests," Clark said to both of them.

"They don't need to. I know what's wrong with me."

"What is it?"

"There's a tumor in my head. It's getting bigger."

Emmeline's heart sank even further. How could this be happening now?

"I'll tell the doctors."

"They know." Tears started to fall down Ryan's cheeks. "I'm dying. And no one can save me."

Emmeline forced back the tears in her eyes and ran over to Ryan's bedside, taking his hand in hers. She slowly rubbed comforting circles over his skin with her thumb as he continued to cry.

* * *

Emmeline returned to school with the promise that she would come see Ryan as soon as she was let out.

She headed to the Torch office looking a little worse for wear. Lana was on Chloe's computer and Chloe was organizing some files.

"Hey, Em, how's Ryan?" Chloe asked.

"He's doing okay considering the circumstances. It's just a lot to take on for me at the moment."

"I understand." She looked over Lana's shoulder at what she was researching. "Facts on child emancipation. I have a feeling this isn't for a research paper."

"I decided to tell Nell that I wasn't moving with her to Metropolis," Lana admitted.

"Wow. That's very Erin Brokovich of you. How did Nell take it?"

"One, she's my legal guardian, two, I'm a teenager, and three…I don't have any say in the matter."

"That pretty much covers all your bases. So are you going to pursue this emancipation thing?"

"From everything I've read, it could take up to a year and a half to complete the process."

"Sounds like you're already talking yourself out of it."

"It was my last shot."

"You know…you might have one other option." There was a pause before she said, "I mean…at my house, there's only my dad and me, so we would have the room. Maybe…you could move in with me for the time being."

Emmeline looked up at them. Had she just heard right?

"Seriously?" Lana smiled.

"Well, I'd have to talk it over with him obviously, but it's a possibility."

"Thank you so much, Chloe!"

Lana smiled brightly and left the office.

"Chloe," Emmeline said quietly. "You're not…replacing me as a friend…are you?"

"What?! Em, of course not! I'm just trying to help her out. Besides, there are things that I talk to you about that I could _never_ tell Lana."

"Like basically everything with Clark?"

"Exactly. Don't worry. No one could ever replace Emmeline Brooks. Especially not Lana Lang."

* * *

Emmeline returned to the hospital after school finally let out and headed straight for Ryan's room.

"Got here as fast as I could," she laughed.

"Hey, Em," he smiled at the sight of her. She pulled up a chair next to his bed. "Em…there's something I have to tell you."

"Okay. What is it?"

"No one except the Kents know." He took a deep breath and then just said it. "I have the ability to read minds."

Emmeline was taken aback for a few seconds. "Wow…that explains a lot."

"You're not freaked out?"

"Believe it or not, I've seen stranger."

"Really?"

"I could tell you about this guy who sucked the heat out of teenage girls, or Chloe's boyfriend who had telekinesis, or about this guy who was interested in me who turned into a bug freak and attempted to mate with me."

"I get the point," Ryan laughed.

"So no, I'm not freaked out. That's how you know all that stuff before people say it."

"Yeah, and how I knew about the tumor. I read about it in Dr. Garner's mind."

"So can you control when you hear people's thoughts?"

"No, I kind of get it all at once, but I only hear whatever they're thinking at that moment. You know, what's on the surface. I can't really control it."

"I bet that can get annoying."

"It's how I know…about your mom having cancer."

"Oh…that."

"Don't worry, Em. She'll be fine. She's going to get the proper treatment and everything will be okay."

"That's what everyone's saying to me. To be honest, I'm tired of hearing that. I know the treatments will help her get better, but what if it's only temporary?"

"Then enjoy the time you do have with her. Cherish the time you've been given."

"I will."

Emmeline stayed with Ryan all day when Clark came bounding in, saying he had a doctor with him that could perform surgery on Ryan and help the tumor.

They prepped him and off he went.

Emmeline decided to head home, promising Clark that she would be back bright and early to see Ryan in recovery.

As soon as she stepped through the door, Emmeline went up to her mother and hugged her tightly.

"Oh, honey, what's this for?" her mother asked with a smile.

"It's just…I love you."

"I love you too. How's Ryan?"

"They're giving him surgery to help with the tumor. I'm going back to the hospital in the morning to see him."

"That's a bit of good news. I'm sorry you've got so much on your plate right now. Me, and now Ryan…"

"It's fine. We'll just take it one day at a time."

Emmeline and her mother went onto the couch in the living room and put on their favorite chick flick. She ended up falling asleep in the protectiveness of her mother's arms.

* * *

Around 8:00 in the morning, Emmeline awoke on the couch in the living room. She took a quick shower and then rushed to the hospital. When she got there, she noticed ashen looks on Martha and Jonathon's faces.

"What is it?" she asked hurriedly.

"The surgery wasn't as successful as they wanted it to be," Martha said with glassy eyes. "I'm afraid Ryan doesn't have much longer."

Emmeline's eyes watered at the horrible news. Why Ryan? Why now?

"Clark's in there with him now. You should go in there too. He's been asking for you."

She nodded and poked her head through the doorway. "Hey."

"Em!" Ryan smiled weakly.

She gave him a sad smile and saw no point in hiding the tears from him. "I guess I can't try to hide my thoughts from you, huh?"

"I told her," Ryan said to Clark. "She deserved to know."

She came around and saw on the other side of his bed, taking his hand again.

Ryan handed Clark the _Warrior Angel_ comic he had been reading. "This is one of Lex's favorites. Would you give it back to him?"

"No, you give it to him," Clark insisted. "When you get out of here."

"I know I said you should be careful of Lex. But I never told you how much he admires you. Promise me you'll keep an eye on him after I'm gone."

"Ryan, don't talk like that, all right? You're not going anywhere."

"Clark—"

"Look, you just don't give up hope, Ryan. There's more doctors we can see."

"Clark, you're not listening to me. The doctor said he bought me a few extra days. I want to spend that time with my friends."

A few tears dripped down Emmeline's cheeks and the same went for Ryan. He began to move his head around in pain.

"Ryan, what's wrong? Ryan. Ryan, what's wrong?"

"It's so loud in here.

"I'm sorry," Emmeline said quietly as she began to get up, knowing it must be because of her thoughts. "I'll leave."

"No," Ryan said quickly, grabbing her hand which forced her to sit back down. "Don't go."

"All right, look," Clark said. "We'll take you somewhere quiet, all right?"

* * *

And that's how Emmeline found herself high above Kansas in a hot air balloon. She never expected this to happen in a million years and though the height kind of scared her, she loved it at the same time.

"What do you think?" Clark smiled.

"It's peaceful," Ryan said. "I thought you were afraid of flying."

"Not when I have you and Em here to protect me."

"Thanks, Clark."

"For what?"

"This moment. Getting to be here with you and Em. It's perfect. And Em…whatever happens with your mom, I know you're all going to get through it. You're tougher than you give yourself credit for." Tears found their way to Emmeline's eyes again. "I don't want either of you to be angry or sad. You both changed my life. You're both gonna change a lot of people's lives. Promise me neither of you will ever give up?"

The three of them joined in on a group hug.

"We promise," Emmeline said.

* * *

True to his words, Ryan passed away not long after their hot air balloon ride. Emmeline was home alone sitting on the couch hugging her knees to her chest. Tears streamed down her face at the loss of her friend.

The doorbell rang which was the last noise she wanted to hear. Nevertheless, she wiped her eyes and got up to answer it.

"Clark."

"Hey, Em."

"What are you doing here?"

"I…I know that you were really close with Ryan too. I just wanted to see if you were doing okay."

Emmeline looked away from him and slowly shook her head.

"Yeah. Me neither."

Clark stepped inside and Emmeline allowed herself to begin sobbing all over again as Clark just stood there and held her, occasionally letting tears slip down his own cheeks.

While they were both devastated by Ryan's death, neither would ever regret becoming friends with him in the first place.


	30. Dichotic

As Emmeline helped Lana move into Chloe's place, she was having mixed emotions. Sure Lana had been nice enough to her and they were growing closer each day, but she was also taking Clark's affections from her and Chloe, and now she felt like she was taking Chloe from her.

As usual, she chose to keep those feelings hidden from everyone else.

Clark handed Chloe's dad a box from his truck which they had used to move Lana's stuff from Point A to Point B.

"Thanks again for letting me live with you guys, Mr. Sullivan," Lana said appreciatively. "It really, really means a lot."

"You're welcome," Gabe smiled. "And in honor of the day, I'm gonna make dinner."

"Oh, hey, don't put yourself out."

"Mi casa, es su casserole.

Clark handed Emmeline another box and headed in with it. She met Chloe at the top of the stairs.

"Look, Em," Chloe said after she had put the box down. "I know this is a bit weird for you, but I promise that you're still my best friend. Lana moving in isn't going to change that."

"I know. It's nice that you're doing this for her, so how can I really be upset about it?"

The two girls went back outside, and Chloe paused for a second when she saw Clark and Lana interacting. Emmeline let out a small sigh, knowing that things were going to get a little complicated in the future when it came to Clark and his feelings for Lana and Chloe and maybe even Emmeline.

"So, that looks like it's, uh, everything, if you need to get your truck back," Chloe said, breaking up Clark and Lana's conversation.

"You know, I lucked out," Clark said. "My mom called and said she was gonna take off early. Help finish up the chores. So you want to celebrate?"

"I wish I could, but I've got to get changed and take a shift at the Talon," Lana told him.

"Yeah, and Em and I only have like a second to grab a bite before we need to run over to the Torch. Sorry," Chloe added.

"Oh," Clark said, his face falling a little. "When you three are scheduled to take a breath, give me a call."

"Will do."

"Hey, Clark," Emmeline said before he left. "Can you actually give me a ride home? I need to pick up some things before I go to the Torch."

"Sure!" Clark smiled.

"Thanks, Clark," Lana said, taking the last box into the house.

"Yeah."

"I'll see you in a bit, Em!" Chloe called. The two girls went back inside Chloe's house to get ready for their next chore.

Emmeline hopped into the passenger side of Clark's truck and he began making the drive to her house.

"So, I know you're probably tired of getting asked this, but how's your mom doing?" Clark asked.

Emmeline smiled a little. "She's doing really well considering the circumstances. She's started her treatments, and we're making sure that she gets a bit of exercise everyday and eats well. Her appetite isn't what it used to be, and we all know it's just a matter of time before she starts losing her hair. But so far, we're all coping."

"I'm glad she's doing well. I know you've been going through a lot lately."

"If you're talking about Lana and Chloe, don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"You know you're a really bad liar?"

"…Mom says that to me every time I try."

"Are Lana and Chloe going to get closer? Yes. But that won't change anything between the two of you. You've been friends for longer and share a bond that no one can break."

They drove a little longer before they arrived at her house. "Thanks for the ride, Clark."

"It was no trouble."

She smiled and headed inside. She was barely home for five minutes before she went back out the door and drove to Smallville High to meet up with Chloe.

The two of them entered the room to find another boy already in.

"Oh, sorry, the, uh, door was open. I'm Ian."

"Uh, Randall," Chloe finished as he shook hers and Emmeline's hands. "Yeah, I know. You practically own the library table near the math and science shelves."

"Yeah, and you've, uh, staked out carrel 17—current events. Guess we're both candidates for the overachievers anonymous club."

"Yeah. So, um, what brings you to my stressed out part of the world?"

"Well, uh, actually I had heard that most of the library's reference books had migrated over to this side of the building." He looked at a huge shelf covered with books Chloe and Emmeline had been using.

"Uh, right. I've been meaning to return these…"

"But just couldn't find the time."

"Exactly. Days like this, I could really use two of me." She looked at the book Ian picked up, titles 'Student's Guide to Colleges and Universities'. "Um, are you getting started early as well?"

"Uh, no, actually, I'm planning on graduating at the end of this school year."

"But you're only a sophomore."

"Well, yeah, but I've been piling on night classes, extra credit work. If I can land the Luthor Scholarship, I'll be going Ivy League next year."

"Color me journalistically intrigued. Um, how about an interview?"

"Okay. All right."

"But take it easy on me. Your reputation precedes you."

"I have a feeling I'll be able to leave my hard hitting reporter hat at home this time, so don't worry."

Ian left the room and Emmeline smiled at Chloe, pointing a finger at her. "You like him."

"Did you not see him? He's really hot. And apparently extremely smart."

"Good luck with that interview. I can't wait to dissect it," Emmeline told her teasingly.

A couple hours later, Chloe came back to the Torch office all smiles.

"Hey," Emmeline greeted. That's when Ian followed her into the room. "I, uh, I take it the interview went well."

"It went great!" Chloe laughed. "So, Em, why don't you take the night off and go spend some time with your mom? Ian's going to take over proofreading for you."

Emmeline lost a bit of her smile. "Uh, sure. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Bye!"

As Emmeline left the office, she could hear Chloe and Ian talking and laughing. First Lana, now Ian. Why did it feel like she couldn't catch a break?

* * *

"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Emmeline asked with a smile as she caught up with Clark and Pete in the hallway.

"We're scoping out Lana's new study buddy," Pete laughed, looking over at Ian and Lana.

"Yeah, he did an interview with Chloe yesterday. I think she has a thing for him."

"Well, it looks like he's got a thing for Lana."

"Yeah," Clark said shortly.

"Do I detect a hint of the 'J' word?"

"No, Lana and I are just friends."

"Right."

Pete and Emmeline started heading to study hall, leaving Clark to jealously watch the couple.

"How have you been, Em?" Pete asked.

"I don't know. Between Lana, and Ian, and everything going on with Mom, I could really use a break."

"Well, how about you come over tonight? Trust me, it'll give you a great break. We'll do some homework, and then we'll make some popcorn and watch some old Disney films."

"That would be amazing. I'll be there around 4:00, okay?"

"See you then!"

Emmeline looked after him, and bit her lip. What was she getting herself into?

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline were both working on the next issue of the Torch when Clark knocked on the door. "Chloe?"

"Yeah?" Chloe said.

"Hey, you got a second?"

"Sure."

Clark went over to her computer and read the first sentence to her new story…the one Emmeline hadn't gotten to proofread. "'Primed to graduate two years early, Ian Randall is a true academic superstar.' Well, so much for journalistic detachment."

"Believe it or not, not every story has to be Wall of Weird material. Why am I defending myself?"

"Do you like him?" Clark suddenly said bluntly.

"I don't _not_ like him. What is this about, Clark?"

"Nothing. I just want you to be careful."

"Why?"

"Look, I probably shouldn't say anything, but I saw him and Lana in the hallway and they seem pretty…close."

"Oh, I get it," Chloe said, her smile disappearing. "You just want to make sure that poor little Chloe doesn't get burned…again.

"No, Chloe—"

"You know what, Clark? Not that it really matters, but Ian already told me that Lana was kind of into him, but he'd rather be with me. He asked me to keep it a secret because he doesn't want to hurt her feelings."

"And you believe that?"

Chloe looked at him stone-faced. "You really can't imagine that someone would choose me over Lana, can you Clark?"

She stormed out of the office and slammed the door.

"Chloe, wait!" Clark called.

Emmeline turned to look at him. "I don't know about you, but I'm really starting not to trust Ian."

"I didn't mean to hurt her feelings."

"I know. I'll go talk to her." Emmeline left the office and found Chloe stewing not too far from it. "Hey."

"If you're coming here to tell me to go back and talk to Clark, forget it."

"I wasn't going to say that. Just…watch your back with Ian, okay? I also saw him with Lana, and they did look a bit more than friendly. I'm not saying he's choosing her over you, I'm just saying I think you and Lana should talk about it a bit more."

"I don't want to hurt Lana's feelings."

"But don't you think you're hurting her even more by not telling her?"

* * *

That evening, after Emmeline and Pete had finished their homework, Pete began making some popcorn, then went to his collection of movies.

"Which one do you prefer, madam?" he asked

"Um…do you have The Little Mermaid?"

"As it happens, I do."

"I love that one. Prince Eric has always been my favorite Disney prince. I'm a sucker for guys and dogs."

Pete grabbed the popcorn and crashed on the couch. Halfway through the movie, Pete laughed. "Oh my goodness, Em, you are so tense!"

"Sorry! I've been stressed out lately!"

"Turn around."

Before Emmeline knew what was happening, Pete began massaging her shoulders as they watched the film. It felt amazing and she felt a lot of the stress from the last couple of weeks slowly begin to leave her.

Right as the film ended, Pete's phone rang. He left the room to take the call and when he came back, he had a regretful look on his face. "Em, I'm so sorry, but Clark has an emergency that he needs helps with."

"Oh! That's fine. I mean, we finished the movie and all, so it's cool."

"I had a great time with you."

"I did too. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow."

Emmeline walked out of his house and towards her car, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

* * *

The next day, Emmeline was at the Talon grabbing a couple coffees when Clark waltzed in.

"Hey, Clark!" she smiled. "Uh, Pete said you needed help with something last night. Is everything okay?"

"That's what I'm about to find out." He headed over to Lana. "Lana, have you seen Chloe?"

"She's at the sheriff's station giving her statement," Lana answered shortly as she got up from her table.

"Well, I don't remember ordering a side of hostility."

"I can't believe you accused Ian of murdering Mr. Frankel."

"Lana, you have to believe me. I don't know how he did it, but he's lying to everyone."

"A boy with secrets. I'm surprised you guys aren't fast friends."

Emmeline tried to resist rolling her eyes. Sure Clark had secrets, but didn't everyone? She really needed to stop getting so worked up about it.

"Don't try and turn this around on me," Clark said gently. "He's seeing you and Chloe at the same time. He was at her house. She's his alibi."

"Clark, they were finishing up an interview!"

"Does Chloe always finish up her interviews by making out with her subjects?"

Emmeline looked over at him. That was news to her!

"Ian told me that Chloe had a little crush on him, but it wasn't serious," Lana said.

"And he told you not to say anything to Chloe about it, didn't he? Lana, he said the same thing to Chloe about you."

"If this is all because I enjoy spending time with Ian, then you are way overreacting. If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were jealous."

Emmeline sighed. "Lana, he's telling the truth. Chloe told us that Ian told her the exact same thing."

"Lana, I'm trying to be your friend," Clark continued. "Look, you've got to ask yourself, what kind of person asks the two people he cares about to lie for him?"

* * *

The next day, Clark recruited Emmeline and Pete for his mission to expose Ian.

"Clark, I got your 911," Pete said, coming through the door to Clark's house. "I brought Em. I assume we're back on the Ian trail?"

Clark handed them some papers. "I got Ian's scholarship information from Lex. It turns out he was taking classes at Smallville Community College at the exact same time that he was taking classes at Smallville High."

"Any idea how an only child can make like the Olsen twins?"

"It wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen in Smallville," Emmeline put in.

"How isn't important," Clark said. "I just want to make sure we're right before we start throwing around charges."

"Because last time certainly didn't go very well."

"Yeah, I wouldn't look for much help in the Lana and Chloe department," Pete said.

A look of realization crossed Clark's face. "Maybe I can. Doesn't Ian carry a pager?"

Clark sent a page to Ian, one from Lana and one from Chloe, both saying they wanted to meet with him at 5:30.

At exactly 5:30, Clark drove to watch Chloe's house, while Pete and Emmeline went to go to the Talon.

Right on schedule, Ian stepped out. "Hey guys, have you seen Lana?" he asked them.

Emmeline played along and looked confused. "Um, not for a while," Pete answered. "Why?"

"Well, she paged me, said she wanted to get together at 5:30."

"What can I say? Something must have come up." The two of them walked away and Pete called up Clark. "Clark, Mr. Punctual made his appearance at exactly 5:30, which means we're definitely seeing double."

The three of them raced down to the Torch office.

"Chloe! Lana!" all three of them called urgently.

"Guys, check this out!" Pete said, looking at Chloe's computer. "'We've both been deceiving ourselves over Ian. Now the pain's too much. We've gone to the dam to end our suffering.' Sounds like a suicide note."

"Ian wanted me to see that. He's going to kill them to get to me."

"Oh my gosh," Emmeline said quietly, tears pooling in her eyes at the thought of losing her best friend.

Clark raced out of the room and Pete grabbed onto her. "They're going to be okay. I promise."

* * *

Later that night, Emmeline got a message from Chloe to meet with her and Lana at the Talon. She ended up seeing Clark right outside.

"You too?" he asked.

"I guess so."

The second Emmeline walked in and saw the two girls unharmed, she immediately ran up to them and hugged them tightly. "I'm so glad you're both okay."

"We got your message," Clark said, coming up behind her. "Is everything all right?"

"We've been up all night talking," Chloe started.

"You were the number one topic of discussion," Lana added.

"This can't be good," Clark mumbled.

"Actually," Chloe said, "we wanted to apologize to you for the way we've been treating you. Both of you. Even though you did technically use us as bait."

"I didn't count on it getting out of control," Clark said sheepishly.

"Em, I know you've felt a little uncomfortable about me moving in with Chloe, but I assure you that I'm not trying to take your place," Lana assured her. Emmeline took note that that was the first time Lana had ever called her 'Em'.

"Yeah, and I shouldn't have let Ian do your job for you. Especially since he didn't do half as good a job as you do."

"The point is, you both warned us about Ian, and we didn't listen."

"Yeah, you thought I was jealous," Clark said.

"There's a lot of water under the bridge between us, Clark," Chloe told him.

"I know that you each have your issues with me, but you have to understand that I would never let anyone hurt you."

"We know that, Clark," Lana said gently.

"I just find it interesting that you guys would give Ian all the latitude in the world, and I would just be immediately dismissed."

"After all the times you've been less than honest with us, can you really blame us for having some doubts?" Chloe pointed out.

"You want honesty. The truth is that, I expected more from both of you."

"And we expected more from you," Lana said. "We made a mistake. But it was ours to make."

"So, what do we do now?" Chloe asked.

"Well, first we can stop treating me like the jealous boyfriend, since none of us have actually dated. You wanna be friends, let's be friends."

"Is that what you really want?" Lana asked.

"Yeah. It is."

 _No, it isn't,_ Emmeline thought. These guys were going to drive her up the wall if SOMEONE didn't start admitting that they liked someone else.

"Good night." Clark left the Talon, and Emmeline began to follow suit.

"Wait, Em!" Chloe called, hopping up from her seat. "Look, I know I've been a bit distant lately with everything with Ian and Lana, so how about we set aside some time tomorrow night, just the two of us to hang out?"

"I'd like that."


	31. Skinwalker

"Em!"

Emmeline turned around to find Pete coming behind her. "Hey," she smiled.

"Did you hear about that guy getting murdered down at the LuthorCorp site?"

"Someone was murdered there? I swear, we can't go one day in Smallville without someone getting killed or nearly killed."

"What about those caves that were found beneath Smallville?"

"Yeah, I heard a little about those. It was uh…the Willowbrooks who were looking for them, right?"

"Yeah. How did you know that?"

"I heard about the latest object of Clark's affection. Kyla, isn't it?"

"He's been spending almost every waking moment with her down in the caves. He's completely obsessed with what's down there."

"I mean, she's really pretty, but I'm just surprised he actually has feelings for someone who isn't named Lana Lang."

"Aren't we all?" Pete joked. "I wanted to ask you if we could grab a coffee at the Talon and go over some of that World History homework. I know we have that test and for the life of me, I just cannot get all of those French kings straight."

Emmeline smiled. "Sure thing. I have a couple study tools you might find helpful."

"You're a lifesaver."

"I know! Say after school?"

"It's a date."

Emmeline turned a light shade of pink and walked off before Pete noticed.

After school, Emmeline walked over to the Talon and ended up running into Chloe on the way.

"Hey, Chloe!" she smiled.

"Hey, Em! I feel like it's been a while since we've actually gotten the chance to talk."

"I know. It's been so busy at the Torch, we've barely had time to breathe!"

"We'll need to schedule another date sometime soon."

"Agreed!"

Both girls walked into the Talon and saw Lana. "Hey, so it looks like Clark pulled you into his activist phase," Chloe said, noticing all the 'Save the Cave' posters and buttons.

"Between him and Henry, I didn't really have a choice," Lana told her. "But they are fighting for something really important." She handed Chloe and Emmeline a couple of buttons.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I've never seen Clark this passionate about a cause before."

"I don't think the cause is the only thing he's passionate about."

"Yeah, so what is it about Kyla that breaks through Clark's shining armor?"

"Especially when they haven't even known each other that long," Emmeline put in. "I mean, we've all been trying to get his attention for months, and look where we are."

"I don't know," Lana answered. "I always thought Clark had trouble letting people in. I guess he was just waiting for the right one."

"You know, Clark's sudden interest in Kyla wouldn't have anything—" Chloe stopped speaking when a couple of guys grabbed some buttons from Lana. Once they left, she continued, "—wouldn't have anything to do with the letter that you wrote Whitney, would it? Sorry, I saw it on the counter this morning. It's one of the pitfalls of having a roommate."

"Whitney and I have been writing to each other every week since he left. Actually, I've been writing him. He hasn't really responded much lately."

"Am I being really evil if I suggest that maybe he's trying to move on?"

"I don't know. Whitney's shared more with me since we broke up than when we were together. What is it with guys and their emotions? The closer you get to them, the more they keep everything in."

"Must be some sort of protective instincts. You know, maybe we should just stop falling for guys who are trying to save the world."

"But guys who save the world are just so darn hot," Emmeline joked.

All three of them laughed together, before Chloe asked, "So what are you doing down here, Em?"

"Pete and I are getting together to do some studying for World History." When she noticed Lana and Chloe make knowing eye contact, she couldn't help but ask, "What?"

"It's just that you two have been spending an awful lot of time together," Lana smiled.

"You and Chloe. No, I don't like him like that. He's just been a really great friend to me lately with everything going on."

"Okay," Chloe said in a tone that implied she didn't believe her.

* * *

A couple days later, Clark asked Chloe to look more into the case of Joseph Willowbrook, Kyla's grandfather. According to him, he had been framed by someone from LuthorCorp and arrested, but with the help of Martha, Joseph was bailed out.

"Anything new in Joseph's case?" Clark asked, walking to the Torch office.

"You know, Clark, a simple 'Hello, Chloe. Hello, Em' goes a long way," Chloe joked.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just a little…"

"Obsessed? We've noticed. I just got off the phone with the coroner's office. They finished the autopsy and there's a new development. I guess they found teeth marks in the foreman's bones."

"What kind of teeth marks?"

"Canis lupus. Wolf."

"Takes Joseph off the hook."

Chloe sighed and went over to her printer. "It's still a few notches this side of normal. I mean, wolves have been extinct in Smallville for 90 years."

"But that is one of the least weirdest things I've heard of happening in Smallville," Emmeline said. "May I bring up a good portion of last year?"

"Yeah, but the look on Chloe's face tells me she has a Wall of Weird explanation," Clark said.

"Don't kill the messenger, but I found out that Kyla's tribe name translates into 'skinwalkers'," Chloe told him, showing him an old picture she had just printed out.

"What is this, some sort of tribal ritual?" Clark asked, referring to the man in wolf's clothing.

Chloe and Emmeline grabbed their things and began walking out. "It's a Native American myth where the humans transform into animals."

"It's just a legend."

"Clark, sometimes legends are true. You know, this isn't the first time that Joseph's been arrested for his radical tactics."

"Chloe, Joseph's not a murderer."

Clark briskly walked off, leaving Chloe and Emmeline alone in the hallway.

"I love him, but sometimes he gets just a bit too protective of some people," Emmeline said.

"What can I say? He wouldn't be Clark if he wasn't protective."

* * *

The next few days were a whirlwind. Clark managed to save the caves because of a peaceful protest, but unfortunately, Kyla was killed in a way that no one really knew about. The events of her death were a complete mystery.

"Am I interrupting?" Emmeline said as she came up the stairs to the loft.

"No," Clark said with a pained smile.

"I'm sorry about Kyla. I know you really liked her."

"Maybe it's just better for me to be alone."

"I think we both know that's not true."

"Well, you can see how well it's gone with Lana and Chloe."

"Yeah, but whose fault is that?"

Clark looked at her sheepishly. "Fair point."

"Clark, I'm sure there's someone out there for you. I don't know who it is, and maybe you haven't even met her yet. But finding Mrs. Right is going to take time. A good number of people certainly don't find their future spouse in high school. I mean, my mom and dad didn't even meet until they were in their late 20s."

"You always say just the right thing, Em," Clark smiled.

"It's a gift," she laughed.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs alerted them to Lana's presence. "Sorry, I didn't realize you had company," she said awkwardly.

"It's okay," Clark said. "We were just talking."

"I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about Kyla."

"I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to know her better," Clark told her as they walked over to the window. "You had a lot in common."

"That means a lot, knowing how important she was to you."

Clark looked out at the stars. "Kyla told me there used to be a star right out there by the bright one. But it disappeared."

"It's amazing how quickly a light can go out."

Emmeline looked over and realized that tears were quickly pooling in Lana's eyes.

"Lana, you're shaking. Are you okay?" Clark said gently.

"No," she admitted. "No, I don't think so. I guess it hasn't sunk in yet."

"What is it?" Emmeline asked.

"Whitney's mom just called. He's missing in action."

Clark and Emmeline gasped lightly as Lana began to sob. Clark pulled her into his arms while Emmeline hugged her as well.

It was absolutely heart-wrenching to hear Lana's sobs sound out across the loft.


	32. Visage

"Don't you guys think you're overreacting just a little bit?" Clark asked his friends as they all came out of history class.

"Not really," Chloe frowned. "I mean, you spend your whole life thinking you know the truth about someone only to find out that it may be a total lie."

"They named the phone company after this guy," Pete grumbled. "Now Ms. Bisery's telling us that Alexander Graham Bell snaked somebody else's invention?"

"I haven't been this disillusioned since I found out that Betsy Ross didn't design the American flag. I mean, she was my role model."

"Betsy Ross was your role model?" Lana said, coming up behind them.

"Yeah. In first grade. I mean, one day, she was a pioneer for women and then the next, she's a glorified seamstress. One by one, our heroes are being defrocked."

Pete, Chloe, and Emmeline continued walking down the halls to their next class.

"Hey, Em, how's your mom been?" Chloe asked.

"It's a rough time for her right now. She's at her low point, but the doctor's expect her to pull through it."

"That's great news!"

"Yeah, it's nice to have a little something good happen with everything that's been going on lately."

It was only a little while later that the three of them learned of Whitney Fordman's return! Emmeline was sure that Lana was ecstatic, especially after that night in Clark's loft. But she had a pretty good feeling that Clark was a little upset that Lana's ex was now back in the picture.

Still, Emmeline decided to attend his homecoming party at the Talon that night. She donned a casual purple dress that had three-quarter sleeves and went down to her knees.

As she walked into the Talon, she walked over to her group of friends, nervously biting her lip.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey, Em!" Lana smiled kindly. "I like your dress!"

"Thank you." Emmeline felt herself slowly shrinking into the background. Sure these guys were all her friends…except Whitney. She felt really uncomfortable around him, but that just made her feel guilty since he was a war hero. All the same, there was something about him that just made her very uneasy. Un-easier than usual.

"So did you catch any tape-delayed Shark games over there?" Pete asked Whitney. "They're burying the entire league."

"I'm not that interested in football these days," Whitney laughed which caused Pete to raise his eyebrows.

"You know, Whitney, if you're up for it, Em and I would love to set up an exclusive interview with you for the Torch," Chloe said.

"I actually don't remember that much, and what I do remember I'd rather not talk about. Now that I'm back home, I'd rather focus on the more important things in life." He smiled and looked over at Lana at the last part. Hadn't the two of them broken up?

"Great," Chloe smiled awkwardly. She, Emmeline, and Pete all left to give Clark his turn with Whitney.

"Anyone else think he seems kind of different?" Pete asked the girls. Emmeline raised her hand.

"Come on, guys," Chloe said to them. "We have no idea what kinds of things he's seen over the past few months. Cut him some slack."

Chloe had a point, and it could very well have been why he seemed so different, but Emmeline couldn't help but feel like there was something more to it.

* * *

The next day as Emmeline, Pete, and Chloe gathered in the Torch office, Emmeline got her answer.

"Hey," Clark said, coming to join them.

"Clark, what's going on?" Pete asked as they all prepared the next issue.

"I know this may sound crazy, but Whitney may not be Whitney."

"Are you getting existential on us, or is this Wall of Weird material?" Chloe asked him.

"I think he's Tina Greer."

Emmeline looked up at him, thinking at first that he was crazy, but then realizing how much that actually made sense.

"The mighty morphing power girl?"

"What?" Pete said disbelievingly.

"The girl who was Lex and then Lana and then locked up," Clark clarified.

"I know who she is, but it's impossible."

"Why? She was obsessed with Lana, remember? Maybe she escaped from the hospital to see her again. Who better to impersonate than Whitney?"

"Clark, there's no way that she could have pulled a Martin Guerre," Chloe said.

"Why not?"

"'Cause she's dead."

"What?"

"She committed suicide last week. I'm running a story on it on page 2." She showed him the story Emmeline had just finished proofreading.

"What happened?"

"The authorities said that she went into the art therapy room in the psychiatric hospital, doused herself in paint thinner, and lit a match."

"Okay, now that's nasty," Pete remarked.

"I know. Tina wrote a note saying that she just didn't know who she was anymore. She couldn't take it."

"Maybe she just wanted people to think that," Emmeline put in, her brow furrowed in thought. "That way no one would suspect her if she ever pulled anything. I mean, I know I'm not the only one who thinks Whitney's acting different. And I'm not talking about PTSD."

Clark looked at her and then asked, "Did they ID her dental records?"

Clark and Pete seemed to share a knowing look which drove Emmeline crazy. Why did boys have to have a secret language that she couldn't understand?

Chloe and Emmeline stayed behind to finish the issue while Pete and Clark headed to class.

Once the issue was near complete, Emmeline grabbed a pass and headed to her class. She knew she'd be late, which she hated because all eyes went to her when she walked in the room, but it was necessary.

However, she stopped when she heard commotion in the hallway, quickly recognizing Pete and Lana's voices.

"…but that freak is dangerous," she heard Pete say.

"I know," Lana responded.

Emmeline peeked around the corner and saw Lana kick Pete in the face and then the stomach which sent him flying across the hallway against the lockers. Lana went over to him and hoisted him up by his shirt until he was well off the ground.

"You're Tina," Pete gasped.

Lana/Tina tossed Pete across the hall into the other row of lockers, denting the one he hit his head into, and he lay motionless on the ground.

"Who you calling a freak?" Lana/Tina smirked.

As soon as she was out of sight, Emmeline ran up to the unconscious Pete. "Pete?!" she said frantically, taking his head in her hands. "Can you hear me? Pete!" Emmeline whipped out her cell phone and called 911.

An ambulance arrived at the school and Pete was admitted to the hospital, still unconscious.

When school let out, Emmeline went straight to visit him.

"Feeling better?" she asked as she stepped into his room.

"I feel like my head has been pounded with a two-ton rock," he replied, wincing a bit.

She looked at the bandage around his head. "I'm sorry about that. Tina's really nuts."

"Yeah, and she's got a heck of a right hook."

Emmeline's smile disappeared a little. "I can still remember the last time she was in our lives. I had just met all of you and was slowly beginning to experience what it was like to have friends. It was right after everything that had happened with Greg. I saw her dead mom and…I had my first panic attack. But…you and Clark were there. Just like you always are."

Pete smiled at her. "And now look at you. Completely over Greg, and practically a whole new person."

Emmeline's smile returned. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry you had to see that part of me. I wish we could've just fast-forwarded to where we are now."

"Yeah, but that's how you know who you're true friends are. Those who see you at your worst, and still like you even then. I mean, look at me. I'm here in a hospital with a bandaged cranium, and we're still friends."

Emmeline laughed at his joke. "You're right. Thanks for being such a good friend to me, Pete."

* * *

Emmeline and Chloe returned to the hospital the next day to share the news with Pete before he was discharged.

"Hey, guys," he greeted. But one look on their faces told him something was wrong. "What is it?"

"A military officer came to the Fordmans house a few days ago," Chloe began. "Tina murdered him before he could say anything, but he had been coming to tell Mrs. Fordman that, um…they found Whitney's body. He died in combat."

"Oh man," Pete said quietly, shocked by the startling revelation. "I can't believe it."

There was a bit of silence between them in the room, all of them reflecting over the loss of the once football jock.

"How's…how's Lana doing?" Pete finally asked.

"She's having a rough time," Chloe responded. "She's been locked in her room, and I can hear her crying a lot."

Pete looked over at Emmeline and noticed that her eyes were shining. "Em, are you okay?"

"Yeah," she sniffed. "It's just that…I don't know. It feels like so many people have been dying around me. And I know the doctor said she'd be fine, but…what if something happens to my mom, and I lose her too?"

Chloe quickly wrapped her best friend into a tight hug.

"Geez, I feel like such a horrible person," she cried. "Whitney's lost his life, and I'm over here crying about someone who's doing fine."

"Em, it's okay to feel upset about what's happening with your mom," Pete said, slowly getting out of his bed to go over to her. "Cancer is huge and it's scary. And with everything going on, it can be really overwhelming."

"I'm just scared."

"I know."

The three of them hugged tightly in the hospital room, and Emmeline knew that she could never find better friends to help her deal with her mother's cancer.


	33. Insurgence

"Clark?" Emmeline called as she stepped into the loft.

"Hey, Em. What's up?"

"Nothing, I just needed to get out of the house for a while."

"Mom's not doing so good?"

"She's recovering at a very, very slow pace. But she's getting sick a lot because of the treatments. I can't…listen to that anymore. It's really hard to hear her like that."

"I understand."

"Are…are you alright?"

"You don't need to hear about it."

"Clark. I'm the best listener you know. You can tell me anything."

"I know, but you've got a lot on your plate as it is."

"Maybe so, but what kind of friend would I be if I only listened to your problems when it was convenient for me?"

"If you say so. It's my mom and dad's anniversary today. And Dad wanted to take her out on a picnic, but she got called into work in Metropolis. And working for a Luthor has kind of put her at odds with Dad as it is, so he's not taking the whole thing too well."

"I see. I know your dad doesn't exactly favor the Luthors. He's definitely not the only one. Pete rants to me about them all the time."

"You really have been hanging out with him a lot lately, haven't you?"

"Focus. We are talking about you here."

"Fair enough," Clark laughed.

"Well, I know it may be hard to see them fight, but I have no doubt that they will pull through. Every couple has arguments. Every good couple talks about it. Every great couple works through them."

"Em, have you ever considered a job in psychology?"

Emmeline laughed. "No, but I'll add it to the list of possible colleges degrees."

"I'm serious. You're great with people one-on-one."

"Well, thanks. I'm glad I can help. Now if you'll excuse me, Chloe and I are going to Pete's house to do some homework."

Clark gave her a knowing look.

"Don't say anything," Emmeline scoffed.

She headed over to Pete's house and knocked on the door. Both Chloe and Pete answered it.

"Em, you're here!" Chloe said quickly. "Come on, get in here quick! You've got to see this! It's all over the news!"

Emmeline went over to the TV where a female reporter was standing in front of chaos at the LuthorCorp building.

"We are live at the LuthorCorp tower," the anchor said, "where sometime earlier this afternoon, armed gunmen apparently entered the building and are now holding LuthorCorp chairman and CEO Lionel Luthor hostage, along with at least one unidentified female employee."

"Mrs. Kent," Emmeline whispered as her stomach flipped.

"What?" Pete asked. "How do you know it's her?"

"Clark told me that his mom got called in to work today in Metropolis. Lionel Luthor and a female employee? It makes sense."

"If anything happens to her…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone was terrified of what might happen to the woman they all loved.

The news report stayed playing on the TV for hours as they all watched the situation unfold. They attempted to do homework, but everyone was so worried about Martha that hardly any of it got done.

"Has anyone talked to Clark lately?" Chloe asked.

"I saw him before I came here, but not since then," Emmeline answered.

"I keep calling him, but he's unreachable," Pete added.

Finally, well into the night, the camera showed Martha running into Jonathon's arms. All three of them stood up and started cheering and hugging one another, beyond relieved that Martha was okay.

Then the camera showed Clark next to his parents, smiling as he watched their joyous reunion.

"Why didn't we think of that before?" Emmeline remarked. "We couldn't reach him because he was saving the day, of course!"

"Oh, of course!" Chloe joked. "Thank goodness everyone is all right."

Emmeline knocked on the screen door of the Kent farm the next morning before school.

"Hi, Emmeline!" Martha smiled. "Come on in!"

"Hi, Mrs. Kent," she said as she stepped inside. "I just wanted to stop by and tell you how happy I am that you're okay."

"Aw, that's sweet of you."

"Chloe, Pete, and I were all watching the news. We couldn't really do anything else until we knew you were safe. Smallville just wouldn't be the same without you."

Martha went over and hugged the girl. "You're such a sweet girl, Emmeline. I'm glad you came into our lives."

"Thanks."

Martha and Jonathon left the room leaving Clark and Emmeline alone.

"Clark, I know you did something to help yesterday. I don't know what or how that's possible, but if there's one thing I know about you, it's that you seem to be able to do the impossible."

"I wouldn't say 'impossible'…"

"I would, and so would everyone else. But this is Smallville which is the hometown to impossible. So I may not understand how you do what you do, but I don't think I want to. I like the mystery."

"So, Em, about Pete…"

"Clark," Emmeline interrupted. "You're not the first one to think I like him. But we're just friends."

"Maybe you think so, but I've seen the way you two are around each other."

"What?"

"Pete's an amazing friend. Believe me, we've been best friends since we were kids. But the way he acts around you is much different from how he acts around other people."

"Clark, look. It won't surprise you, but I've never been in a real relationship before. I'm just…not ready."

"So when will you be ready?"

"I don't know. It's just too soon. I like Pete as a friend, and I don't know what I would do without him, but for right now, I want to stay friends. I just don't want to wreck what we have."

"I respect that. Just be careful to not lead him on."

Emmeline smirked. "Now who should be going into psychology?"

Clark smiled. "I just don't want to see either of you get hurt."

"I know. Thanks, Clark. I'm glad I have you as a friend too."


	34. Suspect

As if things in Emmeline's life couldn't go downhill anymore, Jonathon Kent got thrown in prison, suspected of shooting Lionel Luthor. Emmeline knew one thing. She didn't care what anyone said. Jonathon Kent wouldn't shoot someone.

Before school, she went to go visit him, feeling as if after all his son had done for her, she owed it to him.

"Hi, Mr. Kent," she said with a sad smile as she was led to the holding cell.

"Emmeline," Jonathon said, standing up. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought it might be nice to see a familiar face."

Jonathon smiled at her. "You're right."

"If you don't mind my asking…what happened?"

"You know, I…I don't really remember. I went to a bar, had a drink—not even a full one—and when I went back to the truck, I'm not exactly sure what happened. The next thing I knew, I was waking up with a gun in my hand and Ethan arresting me."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I don't think you did anything to Lionel Luthor. I know that you may have a sore spot against them, but that's not you."

"I'm glad you think so, Emmeline. I don't think other people are going to think so. Not after how much I've voiced my hate for them."

"You'd be surprised. I'm sure there may be more people rooting for you than you think.  
After all, between you and Mrs. Kent, you hold this town together."

Jonathon smiled. "Clark was right. You do know just what to say."

Emmeline let out a small laugh. The door opened behind her and Sheriff Ethan stepped in. "Time's up, ma'am."

Emmeline looked at Jonathon. "Just hang in there. We'll figure out the truth."

She headed off to school and met up with Chloe in the Torch office.

"I just saw Mr. Kent," she said to her.

"How's he doing?"

"He's okay, considering the circumstances. I feel really bad for him. We gotta find out who really did this."

"Yeah. Unfortunately for now, we've got to run a story for the Torch…and we have to leave opinion out of it."

Emmeline sighed. "Let me see the article and I'll get proofreading."

The two of them worked in silence as they tried to write the story about Mr. Kent. It wasn't long before Lana stepped in.

Hey," she said cheerfully. Noticing their grim looks, she asked, "Are you guys okay?"

"Sometimes being an objective journalist really sucks," Chloe said.

"I can imagine. I still can't believe Henry didn't take Mr. Kent's case."

"Okay, usually when I do this, people seem to get really mad at me, but…I found it really odd that your dad passed up an opportunity to take on a Luthor so I ran a search on his legal history." She paused and waited for Lana's reaction. "And since you don't seem to be freaking out, I guess I should continue?"

"If it helps explain why he won't defend Mr. Kent, then I want to know."

Chloe smiled and went to take out a file from her drawer. "Okay. It turns out that Mr. Small was a top white-collar criminal defense lawyer. He and his firm did a lot of business with—surprise, surprise—LuthorCorp."

"Maybe he considered the Kent case a conflict of interest."

"As opposed to all the other times he's taken on Lionel and his buddies? This is interesting, though. LuthorCorp files a complaint against Henry Small that got him fired from his firm."

"Okay. So, uh, that explains why he might hate the Luthors, but it doesn't explain why he won't take the case."

"You know, Lana, my computer only spits out cold hard facts. If you want explanations, you're gonna have to go to the source."

"Take it from someone who knows," Emmeline put in. "I know that trying to talk to someone about an awkward issue is really uncomfortable, but Chloe's right. If you want answers, ask Henry yourself. He's the only one who can give you the straight answer. And believe me, I know. I should be taking my own advice."

Lana and Chloe smiled at their friend as Lana contemplated what she was saying to her.

* * *

The next day, Emmeline quickly ran into Smallville Medical Center. She burst into the room where Pete was.

"Pete!" she exclaimed. "I just heard! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Em."

"What happened?"

"Clark and I went to the bar Mr. Kent went to in order to see if we could get some answers."

"Did you?"

"We think the bartender spiked Mr. Kent's drink, which would mean he's working with whoever actually shot Lionel Luthor."

"So how did you end up here?"

"When we were driving back, a huge semi truck came straight for us. Clearly, we're getting too close and someone wants us to stop digging."

"Well, while I'm happy that you seem to be getting close, please do not get yourself killed over this."

"You worry too much, Em. We'll be okay. We can take care of ourselves. Especially if Clark is around."

Emmeline laughed. "Maybe one of these days, we can figure out how he always manages to save the day."

* * *

Sheriff Ethan.

That was who shot Lionel Luthor. Clark caught him in the act and he was arrested. He had planned the whole thing, even though he was one of Jonathon Kent's friends.

Emmeline went over to Pete's house to give him the work he had missed during his hospital stay. When she rang the doorbell, he was the one to answer.

"Hey, Em. What's up?"

"I brought by your homework. I thought I would help you understand the Geometry portion because believe me, it is confusing."

"Sure! Come on in."

Emmeline stepped inside the familiar house.

"Hi, Emmeline!" Pete's mom greeted her. "It's nice to see you again."

"Hi, Mrs. Ross. How's the job?"

"I'm just thankful I don't have to hold Jonathon's case."

"I understand."

"Well, I'll let you two study."

She left the room and Pete and Emmeline went to the couch as Emmeline pulled out her books.

"Hey, Em," Pete said. "I know that these past few weeks have been kind of crazy and a lot of stuff has happened. I was thinking we could go catch a movie later this week and kind of wind down."

Emmeline smiled. "That sounds great. I look forward to it."


	35. Rush

Chloe and Pete decided to head to a rave, and Emmeline gladly declined that high school experience. Apparently that was a good thing because some kid named Travis ended up getting himself killed.

And for some odd reason, Pete had been acting quite differently since that night.

"Hey," Chloe said to Lana as she and Emmeline walked into the Talon. "I didn't hear you leave this morning."

"Well, I had to be here first thing," Lana told her.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were avoiding me."

"Don't take it personally. It's just how I cope."

"Look, I don't want to be one of those annoying people that says I'm here if you need to talk, but…I am."

"We both are," Emmeline smiled.

"I appreciate it," Lana said to them.

"Listen, if you don't feel like talking, um, I thought maybe we could go to Metropolis tomorrow and do some serious shopping," Chloe called to the back where Lana had gone. "My dad even said that he would join in on the conspiracy and get us out of school early."

"Unfortunately, I can't go because my parents would kill me for ditching school," Emmeline said.

Lana came back through the door. "Ah, thanks. And I'd love to, but, you know, I already have plans with Clark."

"Oh," Chloe said, slightly caught off-guard. "Uh, what kind of plans?"

"Well, um, he asked me out on a date."

"Wow. I thought you guys were giving up on the mating dance."

"Yeah, yeah, me too."

"But you still said yes."

Both Lana and Emmeline could sense Chloe's uneasiness. "Look, if this is gonna be too weird for you two—"

"No! My feelings for Clark are so ancient, they're—they're fossilized. Uh, seriously, you should—you should go for it."

"Yeah, even if I did still have feelings for Clark, I'm not exactly ready for a relationship anyway," Emmeline put in.

"Are you sure?" Lana asked.

"Lana, does it really matter how we feel?" Chloe said. "I mean, if we were in your position, we'd do the exact same thing. Don't let us be your excuse."

"Okay. Um, I'm glad we cleared the air."

"Me too. I'll see you tonight."

"Okay."

Chloe and Emmeline left the Talon and started heading to the Torch.

"Well…we made a deal," Emmeline said hesitantly.

"I know. Nice cover-up by the way."

"Thanks, you too. Ugh, why does Lana have to be so nice and get all the cool guys?"

"Well, to be fair, she's had her fair share of meteor freak-ness too."

"I suppose."

They made it to the Torch and began working on the memorial story revolving around Travis's death.

"Hey, Chloe, Em," Clark said walking into the office. "Have you seen Pete today? I think he skipped school."

"Well, I asked him to help us with the memorial issue, but he totally blew us off," Chloe answered. "Why?"

"He's just acting strange. I think Travis's death really got to him."

"Pete did try and save him, but he just couldn't get there in time. Maybe, you know, he feels guilty."

"He definitely isn't acting that way."

"Different people deal with grief in different ways. Um, any big plans for the weekend?"

Clark just looked at her and shrugged and smiled nervously. Chloe glared at him and turn back to her file cabinet. Emmeline slightly shook her head. Clark had really just dug a deep hole for himself there.

"Do you know if they found any drugs in Travis's system?" Clark asked, ignoring how Chloe had looked at him.

"The autopsy report was inconclusive, but they did find a small puncture wound in the back of his neck and his adrenal gland was unusually enlarged."

"Adrenaline does give you a rush. Maybe that's why he jumped."

"Yeah, but he wasn't the only one. Two other kids at the rave, one from Granville, the other one from Smallville Community College, they both turned up dead. One took a swan dive into an empty pool and the other one wrapped his Corolla around a tree. Same puncture wounds, same enlarged adrenal gland, and same extreme behavior."

"It's like they all had a death wish. What do the police think?"

"Somebody may have been sticking them with a new designer drug. You think they got Pete?"

"I don't know. But I know I need to get him to a doctor. I'll see you both later."

Chloe turned to Emmeline after he left. "He totally lied to me without even using words. I didn't even know that was possible."

"In his defense, he probably just doesn't want to hurt your feelings."

"Well, if this date leads somewhere, they can't just hide it forever. Ugh, I am so sick of everyone trying to 'protect' me."

"I understand. But it's nice that he cares."

* * *

The next day, Clark grabbed Chloe and Emmeline and the three of them went to the caves to try to figure out what was going on with Pete.

"Whatever happened to Pete started in this cave," Clark said as they walked inside.

"Well, have you gotten him to a doctor yet, or is he as needle-phobic as you are?" Chloe joked.

"Em and I haven't been able to find him. My dad called the Rosses. They haven't been seen him all day."

"So what exactly are we looking for?"

"I don't know. A certain reporter friend of mine always said to explore all options."

Chloe smiled broadly. "In that case, we'll look over here."

"Okay. I'll check out the other chamber."

Clark left while Chloe and Emmeline went over to examine a crack in one of the cave walls. Chloe took some pictures of it, and then slowly stuck her hand in it.

"Chloe, are you sure that's a good idea?" Emmeline asked.

"Ugh!" Chloe exclaimed, yanking her hand out of the wall. She had touched something slimy and gross.

"Told you." Chloe looked inside the crack to see if there was anything else in it. "See anything?"

"Hey!" The two girls whipped around to find an older man with glasses looking at them angrily. "This cave is off-limits. Why don't you find somewhere else to make out?"

Suddenly, Chloe gasped and rubbed the back of her neck.

"You all right?" the man asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Chloe looked at the man pointedly and took off her jacket. "As for your snide remark, people haven't made out in this cave since the 20th century. Now back off."

Emmeline eyed her friend, wondering what had caused this sudden change.

"Hey, you're Frederick Walden, the linguist," Clark said as he came back. "You wrote that book."

"I've written many books," Dr. Walden said smugly.

"Did Lex Luthor hire you?"

"Thanks to you, Clark," Lex said as he entered the cave as well. Emmeline took a small step closer to Clark, still unnerved in Lex's presence. "I'm counting on Professor Walden to translate these pictographs for us. It'll help the preservation effort."

"Hey, Rule One—no guided tours," Dr. Walden told Lex.

"They're friends of mine, Professor, and I didn't realize you'd accepted my offer."

"I have, but we do things on my terms, and I don't allow anybody except for my staff on a work site."

"With all due respect, Professor, I was the one who found the caves," Clark interjected.

"I don't care if you discovered the Shroud of Turin, kid." He turned to Lex. "If you're unhappy with my method, I can take the first flight to Chile."

Lex looked at Clark. "I'm sorry, Clark."

"Lex, you can't do this," Clark insisted.

"The man's one of the most renowned linguists in the world. If that's the way he works, we have to respect that."

"Hey!" Dr. Walden yelled to Chloe who had climbed up one of the walls. "You get down from there!"

"Come on, Chloe, let's go," Clark said deflated.

Chloe coyly stepped down from the wall, acting like she was drunk. Emmeline looked over at Clark with a confused expression.

"What are you smiling at?" Dr. Walden demanded. He attempted to grab her camera from her. "I want those photographs."

"Take your own," Chloe said, her expression turning stern.

"I'm serious, young lady."

"You're the cunning linguist. Why don't you translate this?" She cursed the Professor, and Emmeline's widened eyes looked at Clark as Chloe walked past them.

Emmeline had a really bad feeling that what had happened to Pete was happening to Chloe.

* * *

Later that day, Emmeline was heading to the Torch office when she ran into Clark.

"Hey, have you seen Pete yet?" she asked him.

"Yeah…and it wasn't good. He's getting violent. If I don't do something fast, he's going to get himself killed."

"In that case, I'll help as much as I can."

Clark looked concerned for her, knowing how she felt about his best friend.

They walked into the office to find Chloe in some serious lip-lock with a guy Emmeline had never seen before. She turned around at the sound of their footsteps.

"Don't worry, guys. We're done." She went to her desk, and the guy followed her.

"Can I get your number?" he asked.

"Why? The thrill is gone."

The guy looked at Clark and Emmeline dejectedly before leaving the office.

"Who was that?" Emmeline asked.

"I don't know. I met him in the hall, thought he was cute, asked him if he wanted to do some investigative reporting."

Clark's brow furrowed. "Chloe, what's going on? Are you okay?"

"Oh, Clark, don't tell me you're jealous. I thought you only had eyes for Lana. Oh, I heard about your date. But of course it's not like you have the guts to tell me."

"Is that what this is about?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Clark. I just want to explore my options, take a risk. So what can I do for you?" She began licking a lollipop seductively, and from the looks of it, Clark was really uncomfortable by that action.

"Remember you said there was this weird hole in the back of Travis's neck? I was wondering if it could be from some kind of parasite?"

"What orifice did you pull that one from?" Chloe smirked as she crashed down on the couch.

"That's kind of harsh, isn't it?"

"Come on, Clark. It's not like you hit the mute button on your skepticism when I take a logic leap."

"It's just a hunch. Travis's adrenal gland was abnormal. Maybe the parasite was feeding off his adrenaline, making him want more and more."

"Hey, Sherlock, don't you think they would've found the parasite during the autopsy?"

"Not if it burrowed out of that hole after he died."

"All right, so what do you need me for?"

"I can't get within 50 feet of Pete. I figured you could talk to him." Chloe just stared at him. "Chloe, I'm sorry that you're angry with me about this date. I thought we knew where we stood with each other. But right now the only thing I can think about is Pete."

"Sure, Clark. I'll do it for you."

"Just get him to your house. I'll see you there."

"It's a date."

Clark looked at her uncomfortably before he and Emmeline left the office.

"No offense to Chloe, but Pete may be more willing to talk to me," Emmeline told Clark. "If I can find him, I'll see if I can make him see sense."

"Just be careful."

"Pete would never hurt me."

* * *

Emmeline looked around all day, but she never found Pete. What was worse was that she couldn't find Clark and Chloe either and she was starting to get really worried.

When she did find them…she wished she hadn't.

She walked in to find Clark and Chloe kissing, and a heartbroken Lana watching. Chloe had some crazy black highlights on with a ton of eyeliner on her face. She looked like an anti-Chloe.

"L-Lana, this is not what it looks like," Clark said quickly as he zipped up his jacket.

Lana furiously walked past them and when she turned around, Emmeline saw several tears on her face.

"Yeah, it is, Lana," Chloe said smugly. "It's exactly what it looks like. Oh, and guess what? Clark told me everything. And I mean everything."

For the first time in their friendship, Emmeline wanted to smack her best friend on the face.

"Lana, I can explain," Clark said.

Lana shook her head and went into the back room. As Clark bounded after Chloe, Emmeline went into the back room where Lana was sobbing.

"If you're coming in here to tell me to go and listen to him, don't even bother!" she cried.

"I wasn't going to say that," Emmeline said gently. "I just wanted to be your shoulder to cry on."

Lana tearfully came over to her and sobbed in her embrace as Emmeline just held her, knowing that that was the best thing to do at the moment.

"Thanks, Em. You're a good friend."

"I'm sorry you've had such a rough time lately. I'm going to see if I can figure out what's going on."

Emmeline raced outside and saw Clark on the ground. She would've gone to him, but for the first time in a couple days, she finally saw Pete.

"Pete!" she called running up to him. "Thank goodness you're here!"

"Hey, Em," he said with a smirk. He went up to her and put his arms around her waist, but she pushed him away, not fully ready for such a display of affection.

"Pete, please. I really need to get you to a doctor. If I don't, you could die."

Pete and Chloe laughed. "He's gotten to you too," Pete said. "I'm fine, Em. Now come with us. We're going to jump the gorge."

"You're going to what?! Pete, you're going to kill yourself! I'm begging you. Come with me to the hospital. It'll do you good."

"I said no, Em. Are you coming or not?"

Emmeline tugged on his arm. "Pete, don't do this!"

"Back off!"

Pete's arm swung out and smacked Emmeline across the face, sending her sprawling onto the ground. She looked up at him in disbelief as tears pooled in her eyes.

Chloe looked at her stone-faced before they both got in the car and drove off. Lana came out and tossed a bucket of water on Clark's face.

"Lana," he said as he came to. "Where's Chloe and Pete?"

"I don't know. And to be honest, I really don't care."

"The gorge," Emmeline said. "Pete said they were going to jump the gorge."

"Em, are you alright?" Lana asked, noticing the mark on her cheek.

When they both turned back around, Clark was gone.

* * *

Thanks to Clark, Chloe and Pete finally made it to the hospital and the parasite was removed.

"Chloe," Emmeline smiled as she stepped in her best friend's room.

"Is it just me, or are we in hospital rooms too often?"

Emmeline giggled. "It's good to have you back."

"I don't remember anything. Is this what it was like when you got sprayed with the Nicodemus?"

"Yep. So I know that it's not much fun going nuts and not remembering how nuts."

"Em…what happened to your face?"

Emmeline's hand gently rubbed across her swollen cheek. "It's nothing."

"Please tell me I didn't do that."

"No, you didn't. Really, Chloe, I'm fine."

They talked for a little longer before Clark stepped in, so Emmeline bid her good-byes. She was on her way out when she heard her name, and realized she had just passed by Pete's room.

She took a deep breath and walked in.

"Hey, Em. Look, I don't know exactly what happened, but I'm sorry for anything I said or did."

"I know," Emmeline said with no expression written on her face.

Pete noticed her red cheek and had a sickening feeling he was responsible for that. "You have to understand that I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you."

"It wasn't you."

"But, Em…"

"I have to go."

Emmeline quickly left his hospital room and headed home, not knowing what this meant for her and Pete now.


	36. Prodigal

"Hello, Lana," Chloe said brightly as she and Emmeline walked into the Talon.

Lana was sitting on the steps with a stack of papers in her lap. "Hey," she smiled. "Uh, almond mocha with extra whip, and a vanilla bean frappuccino?"

"Yeah, and can you add an extra jolt of caffeine to both please? We're in our post-lunch, pre-deadline coma."

"Uh-huh," Lana laughed.

"Thank you."

Chloe took off her jacket and sat down on the steps while Emmeline pulled up a chair. Chloe began to sift through the papers Lana had been looking at.

"What are those?" Emmeline asked.

"Looks like applications for a job here."

Lana came back and joined them on the steps.

"Clark Kent applied for part time?" Chloe asked as she looked at one of the applications. "And he didn't put me as a reference? What's up with that?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm not going to hire him anyway."

"Why not?"

"Well, you both work with him at the Torch. Isn't it strange, supervising your friend?"

"Are you kidding? Bossing around Clark is the highlight of my day! Besides, he always comes through, even if it is in his own special Clark time."

"She's right. Never once have we had a problem with an issue that was Clark's fault. He always does his share."

"Yeah, but that's kind of what I'm worried about."

Chloe looked at Lana for a second. "Lana, we all know that Clark can do this job. What's the real reason you don't want him here?"

"I…" Lana made a poor attempt to find an excuse, opening and closing her mouth several times.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"If it makes you feel any better, things are kind of tense between me and Pete too," Emmeline told her.

"Why? What's up?" Lana asked.

"It's complicated. Certain things have happened between us that have made it a bit difficult for me to be around him right now."

"Knowing you guys, you'll patch things up in no time."

"I don't know."

* * *

"Ahem."

Chloe and Emmeline turned around to find Clark holding two papers bags and a couple cups of coffee.

"Hey," Chloe smiled. "I didn't know the Talon delivered."

"I decided to make an exception," Clark said.

Emmeline laughed. "All kidding aside, you are a lifesaver. I'm starving."

"I assume you got the job then," Chloe said, taking a sip from her cup.

"Apparently, the editor and the proofreader of the Torch put me over the top."

"So how does it feel to be a minimum wage earner?"

"Great. But there seems to be some personnel changes over at the Talon."

"Are you talking about Lucas Luthor?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

Chloe laughed. "Are you kidding? The prodigal Luthor son returns, and to top it all off, the new heir has taken over the castle. I mean, that's the story that could land you a byline on the front page of the Daily Planet."

"I just—I don't trust Lucas. I think he's hiding something."

Chloe took a seat at her desk and propped her feet up. "Come on Clark, cut the guy a break. He's had a really tough life. He bounced from foster home to foster home. I mean, he never got adopted."

"Well, when you were looking at his past, you didn't find anything weird at all?"

"Um, just the source." She turned and handed him a piece of paper from the printer.

"Hey, Clark," Emmeline said. "I heard Lex is staying at your house for the time being."

"You heard correctly."

"How's your dad handling that?"

"Are you kidding? He's loving it. He has Lex cleaning out our barn in the early hours of the morning."

"How's Lex taking that?"

"Better than expected. I think it's nice for him to not feel like the spoiled rich kid everyone believes him to be."

The next day, Clark informed Chloe and Emmeline about Lucas almost getting shot after he attempted to get Clark fired from the Talon.

Naturally, Chloe began doing her research, and it didn't take too long for her to find what she wanted.

The two of them bolted down to the Talon where Clark was working his shift.

"Hey, Clark," Chloe greeted.

Emmeline almost laughed at the sight of him in an apron. It didn't really suit him.

"Chloe, Em, what did you find out?" Clark asked as he continued to serve tables.

"So they caught Lucas's shooter outside Metropolis. His name is Dirk Lee. They tracked him down with the license plate number that you gave them."

"Did he tell the police who tipped him off?"

"Not exactly. Somewhere between the booking and the holding cell, Dirk mysteriously keeled over and died."

"Someone didn't want him to talk."

"Yeah, someone who had enough power to kill him in the middle of a police station. Know of anyone that comes to mind?"

Clark handed his tray with one remaining drink on it to Chloe and began whipping off his apron. "You two have got to cover for me, okay?"

"No. No, Clark. We drink coffee. We do not serve it! Clark!"

"I was never cut out for waitressing!" Emmeline called after him. "Ask anyone!"

* * *

Needless to say, Clark did not keep his job at the Talon after being late for his shifts and leaving in the middle of another.

Emmeline was just about to start making some dinner for herself when there was a knock at the door.

She went to answer it and found Pete on the porch.

"Hey, Em. Where's your mom?"

"At the hospital with Dad."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's just getting another round of treatment."

Pete took a deep breath. "Look, Em. I know that things have been a bit…tense between us lately, and I know it has something to do with what happened a few days ago. I won't pretend to know how you feel, and I know that there's not much I can say to make you feel better."

"Pete, I know you're sorry, but…it's so much more complicated than that."

"I know. I just want you to know that whatever happens in the future, I don't want to let you down again." There was a bit of awkward silence between them before he said, "So…see you at school?"

Emmeline nodded her head a little before closing the door. She leaned against it and sighed.

Why did things have to be so confusing?


	37. Fever

Emmeline, Pete, Chloe, and Lana were all at the Talon talking about the upcoming charity benefit. The tension was still a bit thick with Pete and Emmeline in the same room, but it was certainly better than it had been for the past couple of weeks.

Clark came through the door carrying a box of different items.

"Clark, hey, I thought your mom was bringing over the prizes for the raffle," Lana said.

Clark put the box down on the table. "She was, but she came down with something this morning. My dad's at the hospital with her."

"Hospital? It sounds serious."

"Do they have any idea what's wrong?" Pete asked.

"We're still waiting on some test results," Clark told him.

"Well, they have to know something," Chloe said. "I mean, what were her symptoms?"

"What is this, an interview?"

Chloe looked away from him, slightly stunned by his abruptness.

Clark seemed to realize how short he was and said quietly, "She stopped breathing, okay?"

"You know, this whole event was your mom's idea. Maybe you should just postpone until she's back on her feet," Lana suggested.

"No, I appreciate the thought, Lana, but she's going to be okay, and she'd be really disappointed if we cancelled."

Chloe looked at him sadly. "Clark, I didn't mean to just…"

"It's okay, Chloe. I'm gonna get back to the hospital."

Everyone at the table looked at one another. Clark had never seemed so downcast before, and that was really saying something.

* * *

The next day, Emmeline received several pieces of news. Martha was expecting a baby! But no one could celebrate because Lana had witnessed Clark collapse, and he was exhibiting the same symptoms as his mother.

Clark Kent never, ever got sick, so whatever was going on was extremely serious, and everyone was worried.

Emmeline was watching TV, anxiously awaiting news on Clark's condition. Jonathon had promised to give her a call if something happened.

She got up from the couch when someone knocked on the door. She opened it to find Chloe sobbing on her porch.

"Chloe!" Emmeline exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

Chloe stepped inside and just hugged her as she continued to cry.

"Chloe. You can tell me. What happened?"

Chloe pulled away from her, and it broke Emmeline's heart to see her best friend so upset.

"I went to Clark's house," she finally choked out.

"Is he okay?" If anything had happened to Clark, she didn't know what she would do.

"He's fine, considering the circumstances. He was asleep on the couch, so I pulled up a chair and sat next to him. I pulled out a piece of paper, and I read to him exactly how I felt about him. It felt good too. I was finally able to pour my heart out to him. He stirred for a second, and a part of me hoped that he had heard what I said, just to see how he would respond. Instead he said a name. Lana's."

"Oh…Chloe." Emmeline wrapped her arms around Chloe tightly and gently rubbed her back as she continued to cry. "I am so sorry."

"I don't know what else to do, Em. As long as Lana's around…I don't think any of us have a chance. He only has eyes for her. I'm never going to be good enough for him."

"Chloe, if Clark doesn't see you for who you really are, then he's stupider than I thought he was. He would be lucky to date you."

Emmeline led her into the living room and guided her to the couch.

"I think this is the perfect time to break out the double chocolate ice cream my dad is hiding in the freezer."

* * *

Somehow in the span of a day, Martha and Clark both made a full recovery against all odds. How that happened, no one really knew, but it was Smallville. Things happened without explanation every day.

Emmeline and Chloe were creating the next issue of the Torch when Lana walked into the office.

"'Attack of the killer mold spores'?" Lana asked as she read the latest headline.

Chloe laughed. "Yeah. I'll never look at blue cheese the same way again."

"I couldn't bring myself to go back and visit Clark when he was sick. Does that make me a horrible person?"

"No."

"It's okay, Lana, I couldn't go see him either," Emmeline told her. She left out that the reason she couldn't see him was because she had spent the majority of the day comforting Chloe after her whole visit took a turn for the worse.

"I guess it just really scared me to see him like that," Lana said.

"Me too," Chloe answered.

"Kind of makes you realize who's important in your life."

"Yeah. And who's important to Clark."

Emmeline looked at her best friend sadly. Unfortunately, she was right. As long as Lana was in Clark's life, he wouldn't even think of dating anyone else.

"What do you mean?" Lana asked.

"Nothing. We're gonna head home and finish changing for the benefit."

She and Emmeline started heading out the door.

"Oh, are the programs ready?" Lana called before they left.

"Yeah, they are. They're right behind the desk. We'll see you there."

"Thanks."

Emmeline laced her arm through Chloe's as they walked out of the school.

"I know it's not her fault, but there's this part of me that just wants to hate her," Chloe said.

"I completely understand. I'm so sorry. I know this whole situation with Lana has been really tough on you."

"You're just lucky you're feelings transferred over to Pete."

Emmeline let out a sarcastic laugh. "Not so lucky now…"

"Yeah, whatever happened between you guys? It drops 10 degrees when you guys get near each other."

"Remember that parasite in the caves?"

"Ugh, I try not to."

"Okay, well…I know Pete was under its influence, and it wasn't completely him, but…he hit me. Hard. And…I don't know, I guess I'm having a hard time getting over that."

"Pete hit you?!"

"I was trying to get him to a doctor, but he refused, and he got violent."

"No wonder you're so upset."

"Every time I try to tell myself that it wasn't him, all I can think about is his fist flying towards me and hitting me on the face."

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Things will work themselves out in time."

The two of them headed to the Talon for the benefit, and as soon as they walked in, Clark came over to them.

"Hey, Chloe," he called. "My dad said you came to visit when I was sick. That was really sweet of you. Thanks."

Chloe tried to force a smile. "Sure. What are friends for? Um, I'm just gonna go buy a raffle ticket before the drawing. I mean, what could be more poetically just, me winning a computer?"

Chloe walked away towards the drawing table.

Clark looked at Emmeline. "Is she okay?"

"It's kind of hard to explain," she answered. Then she wrapped him up in a tight hug. "I'm really glad to see that you're okay. We were all really worried."

"I'm glad I mean so much to you."

"Of course you mean a lot to me! You've saved my life on multiple occasions. Any person who does that automatically means a lot to me."

Clark smiled warmly. "How's your mom by the way?"

"She's getting her last round of treatment tomorrow."

"That's great!"

"Yeah, we're all really excited. Looks like both of our moms are doing well."

Lana arrived and began talking with Clark, so Emmeline went back over to Chloe. She was watching Clark and Lana's interaction with a heartbroken expression on her face.

Emmeline encouragingly touched her shoulder. "Everything will be alright. Maybe not for a while, but it'll be okay."


	38. Rosetta

"What a lame assignment," Chloe griped as everyone walked out of history class. "Family trees are so 20th century."

"Just look at it as a mystery, Chloe," Pete smiled. "You never know what you're gonna uncover."

"Why are you so excited about this?" Clark asked him.

"Because it's gonna be a piece of cake."

"Yeah, because your family's been in Smallville since the Jurassic era," Chloe said to him sarcastically.

"What are you so worked up about?"

"There's just so many variables to take into account," she answered as they entered the Torch office. "Like what if your mother abandoned you? Is that branch of your family tree technically cut off?"

"Yeah, and what if your biological father comes back into the picture?" Lana put in. "Which family do you claim?"

"What if you're adopted?" Clark added, looking at Emmeline to indicate her situation as well.

"Hey, okay, I get the point," Pete laughed. "But is it my fault that I'm part of a nuclear family? Is it? Later." He waved as he left the office.

"Unfortunately for the rest of us, the nuclear family was nuked years ago," Chloe said.

"We should probably get together at the Talon tomorrow and figure out a game plan," Lana suggested.

Clark suddenly bent over and cried out in pain as he put his fingers to his temples.

"Clark doesn't like that idea."

Lana laughed, but Emmeline just looked at her friend with concern.

"Did you guys hear that?" Clark asked.

"Hear what?" Lana said with her brow furrowed.

Clark bent over again in pain. "That."

"Apparently, you're part canine because we don't hear anything," Chloe told him.

Clark groaned as he once more put his hands to his head.

Emmeline quickly went over to him. "Clark, are you alright?"

Clark stood up, his hands still on his head. "I gotta go."

"Clark!" Emmeline called as he stumbled out of the office. She turned back to her friends. "One of these days, maybe we'll understand why he does what he does."

"That'll be the day," Chloe muttered.

* * *

Later that evening, Chloe and Emmeline were just wrapping up when Lana walked into the office.

"Hey, Chloe, my hard drive just crashed for the 50th time. I was wondering if I could borrow your computer. I need to get a head start on this genealogy assignment."

"Yeah, sure," Chloe smiled. "We were just turning everything off." She stood up and started to put her jacket on. "So what are you, a Lang or a Small?"

"Right now, I'm committing to my mother's side of the family."

"Well, knock yourself out. I'll see you at home?"

"Yeah. Chloe, you're a lifesaver."

"Of course."

"Bye, Em!"

"Bye, Lana!" Emmeline called.

She and Chloe began walking down the halls towards the parking lot. Suddenly, Chloe froze. "Oh, crap. I left my keys in the office. You can go on ahead."

"No, it's fine. Besides, I don't really want to be alone in the parking lot at this time, and I don't think you should be either."

"Suit yourself. This won't take long."

The two girls went back to the office and Chloe paused in the doorway. When Emmeline looked at the computer, she saw that Lana was looking at the pictures of Chloe and Clark from the Spring Formal.

"Did you give up on genealogy or is my personal life more interesting?" Chloe asked icily.

"I-I was just looking," Lana said quietly, embarrassed at having been caught.

"So you decided to snoop around."

Lana stood up from the computer. "Chloe, I'm sorry."

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like…what way?"

"Like I'm some lovesick loser who's trying to hang onto something that she's never even had."

"Well, if you have feelings for Clark, maybe you should just tell him."

"This isn't about me and Clark, Lana. This is about you violating my privacy. This office and everything in it is now off limits."

Lana awkwardly stepped out of the office with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh, and by the way," Chloe called, "I did tell Clark how I felt. I poured my heart out to him when he was sick. And in his delirium, the one name he called out was 'Lana'."

Chloe shut the door the Torch office. Emmeline looked at her friend sadly. When it came to her relationship with Clark, things were so complicated.

"I'm sorry you always have to be right in the center of these awkward conversations," Chloe told her.

"Relax, it's not a big deal. If anything, it's practice for the ones I have to have. I'm so sorry things have been so rough lately."

"Looks like the both of us have guy troubles. Ever work things out with Pete?"

"No, things are still pretty bad. We barely talk to each other anymore except in passing."

"I know I'm the last person to be giving this kind of advice, but don't you think you should talk things out with him? It's only going to get worse if you don't."

"I just hate those kinds of conversations. And…I just don't know if I'm ready."

"I understand. I'm just saying that I think things would really help if you talked with him."

* * *

The next day, Chloe came running into the Torch office talking about some kind of symbol burned onto Clark's barn. Martha insisted that it was just a prank, but Chloe was skeptical.

She had taken pictures and was uploading them onto her computer before Emmeline could say, "Hey, I think that's really weird."

Clark came into the Torch office looking pretty ticked off. "I'd like to thank you for turning our farm into Area 51," he said to Chloe. "We needed a couple of sheriff deputies to keep all the wackos away."

"Sorry, Clark," Chloe apologized. "You have to admit, it is really intriguing."

"It's probably just a K.U. frat prank."

"Or could it be that aliens think crop circles are passé so they've moved onto barn scorching?" Clark sighed and turned around. "Come on, Clark, this is Smallville. I mean, you have to consider the possibility."

Clark turned back around as Chloe looked at him expectantly. "I'll let it go if you forgive Lana for what she did."

Emmeline rolled her eyes. Clark was once again defending Lana. Shocker.

Chloe sighed. "Why didn't I see this coming? Did she tell you what she was doing on my computer?"

"No, but she did tell me she was very sorry for what she did. I can't believe—"

"You know what, Clark? This is one time you don't need to come to Lana's rescue."

"I have to side with Chloe on this one, Clark," Emmeline said as she leaned on her desk. "No matter how Lana feels, it was a serious invasion of privacy. She didn't have the right."

"Yeah, but she apologized and she feels bad about it."

"Maybe so, but you have seriously got to stop fighting her battles for her."

"Hello," Chloe mumbled as she opened her email. "What's this?"

"Someone spammed your email account," Clark said, looking over her shoulder.

"Yeah, but they're all for you. From someone called Swann?"

"Never heard of him."

Clark looked at the computer as a picture of the symbol burned onto his barn opened up. Things were really starting to get confusing.

* * *

Clark came into the Torch office with an address from a card he had a received from the Dr. Swann who had been so eager to contact him.

Chloe quickly dove into her research and came up with all sorts of facts. She handed Clark an old TIME magazine.

"Dr. Virgil Swann. You're being stalked by a legend, Clark," she said.

"I've never heard of him."

She then handed him a piece of paper with more information on it. "He was a high-tech Howard Hughes 30 years ago. He graduated from M.I.T. when he was 19. He had his doctorate in Math and Applied Physics. Then he started his own company, Swann Communications, which quickly rose to international acclaim in the 1970s as the world's largest producer of satellites. I mean, this guy has so much hardware in space that 'Scientific American' dubbed him the 'Man of Tomorrow'."

"'Only through communication will people live in peace'," Clark read. "Sounds like a remarkable guy."

"He was until he pulled a J.D. Salinger. He sold his company and put his millions toward charitable foundations. Rumor has it he devoted himself to searching for signs of intelligent life in the universe."

"And what about the address on the card? How does that fit in?"

"It's the New York Planetarium. What better place to look for little green men?" After a pause, she asked, "Why is this guy so interested in you, Clark?"

"He's not interested in me. He's just, uh, interested in my barn."

"Virgil Swann hasn't made a phone call in 13 years and now all of a sudden he wants to be your best friend? He must think that symbol is pretty important."

"It was just a hoax."

"Yeah, well, one of the most brilliant men in the world disagrees. If I were you, I'd find out why."

Emmeline looked at a picture of Dr. Swann. "You know, I don't know if you noticed this, but the two of you kind of have similar facial features. That's a freaky coincidence."

* * *

"Hey, Em, stop by my house real quick," Chloe said as they packed up everything in the Torch office. "I want to show you something."

"Is the tension still extremely thick between you and Lana?"

Chloe sighed heavily. "Yes, but…I am going to fix that."

"If you say so."

The two girls went to Chloe's house, and when they walked into Lana's room, they found her packing up her clothes.

"You know, if you're planning on running away from home, you might want to pack a little lighter," Chloe laughed lightly.

Lana turned and gave her a remorseful smile. "This isn't my home, Chloe. As great as you and your dad have been, I don't think this was such a great idea."

"You know, Lana, if this is about the whole computer incident, I'm sorry. I overreacted, I know. But when it comes to Clark and my feelings, I, uh, I don't know, I'm never really rational."

"I can't help the way Clark feels about me."

"I know." The three girls sat down on the bed. "Before you go, I just wanted you and Em to see something." She handed Emmeline and Lana a piece of paper. "It's my family tree."

To both girls' shock, Emmeline Brooks and Lana Lang were listed in the block meant for sisters.

"You put us under sister," Lana said touched. "Why?"

"Because I decided that my family wasn't about the people that didn't love me. It's about the people who do love me. No matter what. My friends."

Emmeline smiled broadly at her best friend. Tears touched all six eyes and they joined in a group hug, all tension between them gone.

* * *

 **The jab of Swann and Clark looking similar is a small joke. If you didn't know, Christopher Reeve, the man who plays the role of Virgil Swann, played the original Superman :)**


	39. Visitor

"Hello, gentlemen," Chloe greeted happily as she and Emmeline walked up to Clark and Pete in the shop.

"Hey, Chloe," Pete said.

"What are you doing to those poor citrus?"

Clark and Pete had stabbed wires into several oranges and arranged them as if they were a floral arrangement.

"Well, apparently there's enough acid in them to act as a battery," Clark explained.

"How very 'Survivor' of you. What are you going to call it? A Clockwork Orange?"

"Don't you wish you were the first one to say that?" Pete told her.

A student wearing a gray hoodie with the hood pulled up came over and plugged something into one of Clark and Pete's empty outlets. Emmeline noticed he was wearing headphones underneath the hood.

"Sure, you can use our outlet," Clark said dryly.

"Thanks," the boy answered before walking away.

"What's up with that guy?" Pete asked.

"His name is Cyrus Krupp," Chloe said. "He transferred in a couple of weeks ago. They asked me to give him the new student propaganda tour, but he said he wouldn't be here long enough to need it."

"Maybe that's why he's trying so hard to win friends and influence people," Clark said sarcastically.

Chloe smiled and started walking away. "Coming, Em?"

"Go on ahead. I'll be there in a bit."

"Suit yourself."

Clark turned to Emmeline. "I heard your mom was finished with treatments."

Emmeline smiled broadly. "Yep! The cancer is gone, so now she's just recovering from everything."

"That's great news."

"Oh, check it out, man!" one of the jocks said loudly. Emmeline looked over and saw someone listening to Cyrus's headphones. "The loser's listening to a dial tone!"

Cyrus snatched the headphones back. "You don't have the mental capacity to comprehend that sound."

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"Let's just say you're not one of mankind's brightest lights."

The boy knocked the headphones to the ground and then stole the weird sphere Cyrus was holding. They started tossing it back and forth so he couldn't get it back.

"Hey, don't damage my transmitter!" Cyrus cried. "Don't damage that!"

At that, Clark had had enough, and he went over to the boys. "Hey, guys. Why don't you just leave him alone?"

The boy walked up to Clark and got right in his face. "Stay out of it, Kent."

Emmeline smiled to herself when she saw that Clark showed no signs of backing down or even moving. That and the fact that the boy had to stand on his toes to get to Clark's eye level.

Cyrus got between the two boys. "I don't want to hurt you, Kyle. Just give me my transmitter back."

"Get out of here, freak," Kyle said.

"I'm warning you."

Kyle grabbed Cyrus by the shirt and flung him into one of the counters. As they all laughed together, Emmeline rolled her eyes. High school boys were so immature.

Clark went over and helped Cyrus up. The boys all started jeering him as he walked away. Then Cyrus turned around and the tool rack suddenly burst into flames. Emmeline's widened eyes looked at Pete. Was Cyrus another 'meteor freak'?

"Now leave me alone!" Cyrus yelled. He took the sphere from Clark and ran out of the room.

There was more to Cyrus than what she saw at first.

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline pulled up to Clark's farm to find him doing some chores.

"Hey, Kent," Chloe smiled as the both of them got out. "We know your secret. Lana told us you're letting her board Whitney's horse here."

"Oh, yeah, that. Right."

Was it just her, or did he seem relieved? Did he have another secret? Knowing Clark, the answer was probably yes.

"You made her year, you know."

"Well, Tyson's really important to her. She didn't want another part of her past just taken away."

"Mm-hm. And she'll be here every day. Just like old times."

"Chloe, there's nothing romantic about mucking out horse stalls."

"Ew, Clark," Chloe laughed.

Clark put away some of his tools in the barn. "Hey, I see the electronics lab is still closed."

"Yeah, the fire marshals are investigating Cyrus's pyrotechnics. Did you know that Principal Reynolds suspended him, and he confiscated his science project?"

"Do you have any idea how he did it?"

"It could've been a trick. Or it could be meteor rock inspired."

"I think my money's on the second option," Emmeline put in.

"Or he could be an alien."

"…That one, not so much."

"Alien? Why would you say that?" Clark asked.

"Rumors from his old school," Chloe told him. "He went to junior high in Granville, and he told some kids there that he was extraterrestrial. Needless to say, they sent him to a distant corner in the social galaxy."

"He didn't do anything…super, did he?"

"Like start fire with his eyes? Mm-mm. But he did make it a habit of running away. The last time, the cops found him in the middle of a field butt naked. Cyrus was pointing to the sky saying, 'They're coming to take me home.' That incident landed him in a mental institution."

"That's so sad," Emmeline remarked. "I can't imagine what it's like in a place like that."

"You don't think he's really an alien, do you?" Clark asked.

"No," Chloe admitted. "But wouldn't it be awesome if he was, though?"

"Yeah, it'd be the story of the century, wouldn't it?"

"This isn't about Pulitzers, Clark. I mean, can you imagine being from another planet? The experiences you could share?"

"It wouldn't freak you out?"

"Compared to most people, I think aliens would be a step up."

Clark raised his eyebrows, and Emmeline could've sworn she saw some admiration for Chloe in his eyes.

* * *

Wonders never ceased. Clark explained that Cyrus was building some kind of transmitter to signal his 'parents' and get them to take him home. Then when Tyson was sick, he did something weird and completely cured him.

"Magic," Chloe said as Clark walked into the Torch office.

"What?" Clark asked.

"That was how Cyrus started the fire. The fire marshals found strips of magnesium powder hidden behind the blackboard. All Cyrus had to do was wait for the right moment, hit the detonator, and before you can say 'Presto'…" She held up her hand and a small blackboard on her desk with a strip of magnesium lit on fire. "Instant inferno."

"I didn't see him use a detonator," Clark said, still in disbelief.

Chloe held out her other hand to reveal her own detonator. "Ah, but illusion is the art of misdirection, Clark. Trust me. This kid is more David Blaine than he is Wall of Weird." She started putting out the fire with a squirt bottle.

"All right, well, that still doesn't explain how he cured Tyson."

"Yeah, I haven't figured that one out yet. But I'd be willing to bet that he faked that one too somehow."

"No, I was there. It was real."

"Okay, well, I'm not discounting the possibility that he may have some magic healing power. But if he does, it's probably byproduct of meteorite poisoning. He is no more extraterrestrial than you are."

"Called it," Emmeline said.

* * *

Clark came up to the loft where Emmeline, Chloe, and Pete were waiting for him.

"Hey, Clark, Cyrus escaped from the Medical Center," Chloe told him. "The Child Protective Services and the sheriff are searching for him everywhere. Take a look at this."

She handed him a 'Missing Persons' flyer. There was a picture of a man and a woman with their son.

"Who are these people?" Clark asked.

"John and Maggie Burnet and their son William. They disappeared the day of the meteor shower. Rescue workers suspected that they were vaporized when their farmhouse was hit, but no remains were ever found."

Pete stood up and walked over to them. "If their son survived, he'd be too young to remember what happened."

"The older couple that adopted Cyrus lived half a mile away from the Burnet house."

Clark looked up at them. "What are you saying?"

"Clark, what we're saying is Cyrus is not an alien. He's an orphan."

* * *

Clark went after Cyrus, but they soon learned that he ended up having a complete mental breakdown after he missed his supposed chance to go home.

It was sad that the boy had lived almost his entire life thinking he was someone else when he really wasn't. He probably could've lived a much happier life if things had gone differently for him.

Emmeline was just leaving Smallville High for the day when Pete came up to her.

"Hey, Em, we need to talk," he said.

Emmeline turned to him. "Okay."

"Things have been tense between us for the past couple of weeks. I know that I hurt you, and I'm sorry. But why can't you forgive me?"

"Because, Pete, I know that it wasn't exactly you who did that to me. It was the parasite. But I guess I just thought that even though that thing was inside you, there would still be a part of you that cared for me. And realized that what you were doing was wrong."

"I don't even remember it happening. Do you know what it's like to hurt someone and not remember it?"

"Yes," Emmeline said sharply. "I do. Remember that demon flower that almost killed me? I don't remember anything I did while I was in that state. But I know that I at least had the decency to not physically hurt anyone."

"Em…"

"Mom's at home, and she needs me right now, okay? I have to go."

Pete sighed as she drove away. How could he make her see that he still cared for her more than she knew?


	40. Precipice

It was a sad moment in Smallville when Emmeline heard the news that Lana had been assaulted by three guys at the Talon. Things weren't much better when Clark was forced to do community service after hurting the jerks.

"Clark Kent, convict," Pete joked as Chloe pulled up in front of the Talon.

"Yeah, I know, when do you get fit for that orange jump suit?" Chloe asked. "Or is it one size fits all?"

"Forty hours of community service is not funny," Clark said as they got out of the car. "It's an orange vest."

Chloe started laughing. "Oh, no! It's gonna clash with the plaid!"

"Welcome to Smallville. Where you stop the crime, you do the time," Pete told the others.

Emmeline smiled at his joke, an action that did not go unnoticed by him.

The new sheriff stepped out of the Talon and smiled at them. "Very pithy," she said, having caught Pete's statement. "Maybe I should use that as my campaign slogan, huh?" She looked over at Clark. "Oh. We're gonna see you bright and early, Mr. Kent."

"I'm looking forward to it," Clark said politely.

"Yeah. Toodle-oo."

The sheriff walked away and Chloe and Pete started to walk inside. "Good luck on the chain gang," Chloe laughed. Lana passed them on her way out to set up some flowers on the window. "Hey."

"Hey," Lana said without her usual burst of cheer.

"Hey, Lana. What's wrong?" Clark asked.

Lana furiously turned to him. "According to the sheriff, I don't have a case that'll hold up in court. It's all hearsay."

Emmeline put her hand on her shoulder. "That really sucks."

"Yeah…At least you were there, Clark."

"Yeah. Look where it got me," Clark said sheepishly.

"Sorry." After a pause, she asked quietly, "So, how'd you do it, Clark? I mean, I know you can take care of yourself, but there were three of them."

"They were drunk. And I was highly motivated. I mean, the thought of someone hurting you…"

Emmeline began wondering if Clark would do the same thing for her. She knew that he cared about her, but did he care about her that much to get community service?

…Would Pete do such a thing for her?

"You can't keep your eye on me every second," Lana said to Clark.

"I can try."

"You're always there to save me. I just wish for once I could've saved myself."

Emmeline looked after her sadly as she went back inside the Talon, completely understanding how she felt.

* * *

The next day, Emmeline went to the Talon where she saw Clark picking up some trash with his bright orange vest on.

"Did anyone ever tell you orange isn't your color?" she smiled as she walked over to him.

"Only about 40 people from Smallville High so far," Clark answered with a thin smile.

Emmeline let out a small laugh. "I'm sorry. It doesn't seem very fair that you have to do this."

"Yeah, well, it gets worse. One of the guys is suing us."

"What? But he's the one who assaulted someone."

"With the amount of money he's suing us for, our farm could be history. I just tried to help someone, and now it's all blowing up in my face."

"I know. Don't worry. Everything will work out if we try hard enough. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a vanilla bean frappuccino calling my name."

Emmeline went inside the Talon to find Lex heading out after having a short conversation with Lana.

"What was that about?" she asked as she approached the counter.

Lana handed her her frappuccino all ready to go. Emmeline laughed at her preparedness. "He was talking to me about offering me a bit of help learning some self-defense. I guess I'm just so tired of being the pathetic little girl in trouble every five seconds. So I'm going to do something about it."

"Really?" Emmeline looked at her for a second. "Do you think…I could…join you?"

"What?"

"It's just that…after what happened with Greg, and then later with Pete, I want to know how to defend myself. Could I come with you?"

Lana smiled warmly. "Of course. I'm sure Lex would be happy to help you too."

* * *

That afternoon once Lana was done with her shift at the Talon, she and Emmeline headed over to the Luthor mansion dressed in their workout clothes.

"Emmeline," Lex said at the sight of another female. "I wasn't expecting you."

"I told her what you offered to do for me, and she wanted to join," Lana explained.

"I hope you don't mind, Mr. Luthor," Emmeline said quietly.

"No, of course not," Lex smiled. "Call me Lex. Come on over." Lex led them over to a punching bag. "You first, Lana."

Lana came over to him and he handed her some boxing gloves. Then he held the bag for her and she attempted to hit it several times with her fists.

After many failed attempts, she took a step back. "I can't even get the bag to move. I don't see how I'm supposed to take on a guy who's twice my size."

"Lana, getting the upper hand isn't about size. It's about decisiveness and speed. You have to commit." He got behind her and positioned her body into a fighting stance. "Look, right now you're only putting part of yourself into it. If you want to be effective, you have to put your whole body into it. Okay?"

"Okay."

Lana hit the bag again, and this time it moved a little bit.

"There you go. That's it. Now channel all your anger."

"Some of us aren't as angry as you are, Lex."

Lex held up his arms. "Of course not," he said smoothly as he went back over to hold the bag. "I mean, what's to be angry about? Hmm? It's not like a bunch of frat boys came into your own place and harassed you."

Lana hit the bag again with more force.

"It's not like you felt helpless when that guy shoved you."

She hit the bag twice, getting angrier and angrier with each punch.

"And I know it doesn't make you mad that you needed Clark Kent to save you again."

Lana hit the bag three times in a furious frenzy and then kicked it which made Lex have to take a step back at the force of it.

"Better," Lex smiled. "Alright, Emmeline. Your turn."

Emmeline traded places with Lana and hit the bag with a pathetic amount of force.

"Don't worry about me or Lana watching. Hit the bag as hard as you can."

She tried to hit the bag again with more force, but there wasn't a huge difference from the first time.

"You're concerned about what we're thinking. Forget about us. It's just you and this bag."

Once more, Emmeline tried to hit the bag, and though it was harder, it still wasn't going to do her any good in a real life situation. "This is hopeless," she lamented.

"That's what Lana thought and look where we ended up. Look, you're having the same problem. You need to channel your anger. And you have a lot to be angry about. I may not know you as well as Lana, but I do know a little about you from what I've heard around Smallville."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your mom got cancer. She didn't deserve to go through all that. Greg kidnapped you, and you couldn't do anything to stop him."

Emmeline hit the bag with much more force.

"You didn't talk to anyone until high school and were forced to be alone for all that time. Shyness is a curse."

She hit the bag again, feeling a fire rise up inside of her.

"If you weren't so quiet, maybe you could've stopped Greg and everyone else from hurting you. You let all that time go to waste because you were too afraid to talk to anyone."

Emmeline hit the bag over and over again and let out a loud scream as she punched the bag so hard, it hurt her knuckles, even with the gloves on.

Lex and Lana looked at each other and smiled. Shy little Emmeline wasn't so shy and little anymore.

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline bounded up the stairs to the loft where Clark sat looking at pictures of x-rays and other documents.

"What's up?" Chloe asked as they both sat down on the couch.

"Andy Connors is faking his injuries," Clark said bluntly.

"Well, that's an intriguing claim, but as the defendant, I doubt your case holds much water."

"Well, I…I followed him home. I saw him take his neck brace off. I was trying to gather some evidence on him so I could nail him."

"Well, you know I'm always up for a good conspiracy."

"Thanks, Chloe."

"Or if all else fails, we could send Lana or Em out to beat the confession out of him." Clark looked away from her, and Chloe realized she had struck a nerve. "It was a joke, Clark. Why do I get the feeling that you're not impressed with Lana and Em turning all Charlie's Angels on us?"

"I agree," Emmeline said. "After spending my entire life feeling weak and powerless, it's nice to know that I have some kind of way to defend myself."

"I know Lex's intentions are good," Clark said to her. "But what if either of you get overconfident and find yourselves in a situation you can't handle?"

Chloe looked at him. "Clark, as a 6-foot-…whatever guy, you have no idea what it feels like to have to cross the street at night when you hear footsteps behind you. If getting a little girl power makes Lana and Em feel like less of a victim, then you should be all for it."

"I guess."

"Or is it that you're secretly worried that if Lana learns to defend herself, she won't need a knight in shining armor to rescue her anymore?"

Clark looked at her with mock annoyance, but Chloe didn't back down from her statement.

* * *

"Hey, Em!" Lana greeted. "So, I've been looking into some karate classes ever since we went to Lex's. I thought you might be interested in taking some with me."

Emmeline picked up the brochure. "That would be awesome!"

"I feel so much better now. Don't you?"

"Definitely."

Clark stepped into the Talon looking worn out. "Smallville is officially litter free."

Lana laughed. "You must be exhausted."

"Well, frustrated and humiliated, yes. Exhausted, no. Hey, I can stick around for a little while if you want."

"I'm fine, Clark."

"I know. I just thought you might want some company." He picked up the brochure Emmeline had been looking at previously. "Karate class? I take it the meeting with Lex went well."

"Lex has a way of bringing out a side of us that's both scary and liberating at the same time."

"Well, you know the first rule of self defense is to avoid conflict."

"Relax, Clark, we're not about to go prowling the night fighting crime. We'll leave that to the expert."

"Well, you can trust me, there's no future in fighting crime unless you enjoy being sued." Lana looked at him guiltily. "You know what the worst part is? I know that he's faking. I just don't have proof. I was gonna follow him with a camera, but I'd be violating the restraining order."

"Well, what about me and Em?"

"What about you and Em?"

"We want to see him go down as badly as you do. Let us help."

"No, that'd be too dangerous."

"Clark, the law's not on our side. What are we supposed to do?"

Clark looked at the both of them, no viable answer for them. Emmeline knew that she wanted to take down Andy, but she wasn't exactly sure she was ready to fight with someone like him.

* * *

Emmeline met with Lana early in the morning at the Talon, and it wasn't long before Andy walked in after her.

"Thanks for coming," Lana said shortly.

"Well, this better be good to get me out of bed so early," Andy said with a smirk. "Who's your friend?"

Emmeline fought to hide her grimace. This guy was worse in person.

"Emmeline. Listen, Andy, um, I'm really sorry about what happened the other night, but I think this has gotten a little out of hand. The lawsuit?"

"Don't worry about it. It's Kent's problem."

"We know you're faking your injuries. I think you should drop the suit before you get caught."

Andy looked around for a second before picking up his cane and tossing it away. "You didn't call me here to talk about no lawsuit, did you?"

He reached for her, but Lana firmly slapped his hand away. "Touch me again, in fact touch either of us, and you'll have some real soft-tissue injury."

Andy just laughed. "You can play hard to get, but we both know you want me. I think both of you want me."

Emmeline scoffed. "Excuse me while I vomit." She had never said something like that to someone like Andy. It felt amazing.

Andy laughed again. "Well, why don't we take this into the back?"

He reached for Lana and Emmeline's shoulders, but Lana quickly pushed him away and grabbed his hand as she forced it into a painful position. Then Emmeline kicked him in the gut. As he bent over, Lana delivered an amazing spin-kick to his face which sent him sprawling into the table.

Lana and Emmeline looked at each other. They gave each other small smiles and high-fived.

* * *

"Em?"

Emmeline turned as she was about to get in her car. "Hi, Pete."

"I heard you and Lana gave Andy a real smack-down the other day."

"Yeah," she laughed lightly. "It felt…like the greatest moment of my life. To know that I have the power to make sure that I don't get hurt again is…amazing."

"I can imagine. I'm glad you feel safer."

"Pete…I know that you want things to be like they were. And…we're getting there. It's just… I need some time."

"I understand."

"Thank you…I'm sorry."

Emmeline quickly got into her car and drove off, watching Pete stand in the parking lot in her rearview mirror.


	41. Witness

Chloe and Emmeline marched into the Talon more than a little ticked off. Chloe paused for a moment as she watched Lana put her hand on Clark's. Emmeline took a deep breath. Things were about to get ugly.

"Clark, what happened to you?" Chloe asked him angrily as she set her bag on the counter. "Story deadline…?" Clark looked at her blankly. "Stop me when I'm getting warm."

"My article about the debate team," Clark suddenly remembered. "Oh, Chloe, I'm really sorry. I got caught up helping Lana. I'll give it to you first thing tomorrow morning."

"Well, unfortunately, Clark, we needed it tonight. It takes time for Emmeline to proofread these things and make all the necessary corrections. To fill in the hole, I had to blow up the lunch menu to a 60-point type. I'm sure the student body is going to find that fascinating."

"Chloe, it's my fault," Lana said from behind Clark. "I asked Clark to help me."

"No, Lana, I don't blame you." Chloe glared back at Clark.

"Well, um…I'm going to go lock up in the back." She looked at Clark. "Thanks again for your help."

"Yeah," Clark smiled. He turned back to find the two girls still glaring at him. "Chloe, I'll make it up to the both of you. I promise."

"I can't say that makes me feel any better," Chloe said. "Given your previous track record on promises…"

"It's one story. What's the big deal?"

"That you couldn't give up one riding practice to do."

"Don't make this about Lana."

"I'm not. This is about you and your perennial inability to be there when I need you."

"Whoa, don't you think you're being a little harsh?"

"No. I don't."

"I'm siding with Chloe on this one, Clark," Emmeline said. "This isn't the first time you've missed a deadline. I love Lana too, but I don't constantly put my life on hold to do whatever it is she wants."

"I do not do that!" Clark said angrily. He didn't even know Emmeline was capable of talking to him like she was. What had happened to that girl who couldn't get mad at anyone?

"I'm never a priority in your life!" Chloe continued. "I'm always just your back-up plan, and I'm tired of it."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

"Chloe, if that's the way you both feel, then maybe I should quit."

"Maybe you should."

Clark looked at them intensely. "Fine. I quit."

He briskly walked off, leaving the two of them in a state of disbelief. Chloe leaned onto the counter and put her hands to her head. Emmeline looked after him. She hadn't been expecting this turn of events.

* * *

When Chloe and Emmeline walked into the Torch office the next day, they found Clark and Pete looking at different articles and papers.

"I thought you quit the Torch," Chloe said.

"Just cleaning out my desk," Clark answered.

"Clearly," Emmeline muttered.

Pete looked up at them. "Wait a minute. You quit?"

Clark glanced at the two girls. "Apparently, I can't be counted on."

"I didn't even know quitting was an option."

"Funny," Chloe said dryly.

"Tough crowd." He looked over at Clark. "Hey, I'll catch up with you later. Keep me posted on Eric."

Pete left the office as Chloe came over and looked at a few of the papers he and Clark were examining.

"Marsh?" she asked. "Why are you guys interested in him?"

"Doesn't matter," Clark answered flatly.

"Really, Clark?" Emmeline said at his stubbornness.

Chloe sighed. "Clark, we didn't ask you to quit the Torch."

"Yeah, but all I do is, uh, disappoint you two."

"I didn't say that. I just said it seems like you drop everything for Lana with no regard for anyone else."

"I thought this wasn't about Lana."

"It's not." When she saw how Clark was looking at her, she added more firmly, "It's not."

"Then why is it, every time you see us together, you look at me like I'm cheating on you?"

Chloe scoffed a little. "Well, I'm sorry Clark, but you're wrong, and if that's the way you feel, maybe we shouldn't hang out anymore."

Clark glared at her for a second before picking up the box full of this things and leaving the office. Chloe sighed heavily.

"He is being such a jerk," Emmeline said bluntly. She had the full intention of setting the record straight, but it would have to be at another time.

* * *

Chloe, Lana, and Emmeline were in Chloe's car heading to the Talon when Lana asked Chloe, "Okay, the only time you're ever this quiet is when you're sleeping. What's up?"

Chloe laughed lightly. "Clark and I decided to put our friendship on an indefinite hiatus."

"Over one newspaper story?"

"Let's just say that certain insurmountable forces finally made us raise the white flag."

"And it's not just the newspaper story," Emmeline put in. "He hasn't done some of the other work he was supposed to while at the Torch."

"I'm sorry," Lana said. "If there's anything I can do to help…"

Chloe nodded sadly when they realized that Lana was staring at a woman and a man coming out of the building next to them. They kissed each other lightly before the woman started to walk off.

"Who is that?" Chloe asked.

"Jennifer Small."

As the woman crossed the street, her smile disappeared when she realized that Lana had seen everything.

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline headed to Smallville Medical Center to see if they could get a story about the guy whose truck was attacked by 'aliens'.

Chloe discreetly opened the door to the man's room and the two of them stepped inside. She took pictures, but it was clear that he wasn't going to be answering questions any time soon.

"So much for an interview," Chloe said disappointedly.

"I admire your dedication," a voice said to the side. The two girls looked over to find Lionel Luthor sitting in one of the chairs. "Though I suspect the hospital might not be quite so, uh…understanding."

Emmeline swallowed nervously. She had never been so close to Lionel before, and given his history, she was very uncomfortable in his presence. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to leave.

"Mr. Luthor," Chloe said nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"Paying a bedside visit to a loyal employee. It's Miss Sullivan and Miss Brooks, isn't it?"

"You know who we are?"

"I know who you are, Miss Sullivan. I've been following your work at the Torch for quite some time. Given today's front-page scoop, I assume you came, uh, hoping Mr. O'Conner would confirm his, uh…connection with LuthorCorp."

"Well, I think you just did that for him."

Lionel placed a small business card with handwriting on it on the bedside table. "It was never a secret."

He left the room, but Chloe called after him, "Unlike the now missing contents of your truck?"

Lionel stopped and turned to her. "On or off the record?"

"The police report says robbery, but no one's been able to find anything that's been taken."

"We were moving some industrial material. It was nothing important."

"Somebody sure went to a lot of trouble to get to it."

"Oh, it's a competitive world. You know that as well as I do. Corporate sabotage is just one of them, uh, costs of doing business."

"Mr. Luthor—"

"Miss Sullivan, I admire your zeal. And your work at the Torch is exemplary, but, um, trust me. You're looking for a mystery where there's none to be found."

Emmeline raised an eyebrow as he walked off again. She would believe the word of Lionel Luthor when she was dead. Something was going on, and she knew that Chloe had every intention of finding out what it was.

* * *

Emmeline walked up to Clark at school, and from the look on his face, he didn't expect good things.

"Relax, Clark," she said.

"I didn't want another lecture."

"Well, tough because you're getting one. Look, Clark, you need to understand something. Chloe and I love Lana. She's our best friend. And despite what you think, Chloe isn't making this whole situation about her. It's about the fact that you've fallen through on multiple occasions because you put Lana over her."

"I do not put Lana over her."

"For goodness' sake, Clark, for one second, stop defending yourself and think about the possibility!"

Clark was a bit taken aback. Never before had Emmeline come at him so strongly.

"I know you like Lana, and you want to spend every second with her. But you have to think about your other priorities in your life. Chloe being one of them."

"That still doesn't explain why she looks so angry whenever Lana and I are together."

"Because she still likes you, you imbecile!"

Clark paused. "What?"

"If she finds out I told you, she'll kill me, but she's never stopped liking you. Every time she's said she wants to stay friends, it's because she's afraid that you'll hurt her if your relationship goes any further. Remember how she came to visit you when you were really sick a few weeks ago? She poured her heart out to you about how she really felt while you were unconscious. In your sleep, you said Lana's name."

Clark closed his eyes and sighed. How had he not known any of this before?

"You have been so focused on trying to win over Lana that you haven't seen how much you've really been hurting her."

"Why didn't she say anything before?"

"What is she supposed to say? Whenever Lana comes into the picture, you just get incredibly defensive. You're letting your feelings for her cloud your judgment."

Clark took a deep breath. "Thank you for telling me all of this, Em. I really needed to hear it."

"You've heard it. Now do something about it."

By now, the two of them were near the Torch office. They walked in to an absolutely horrible sight. The office had been completely trashed. Papers were everywhere, the lights were hanging down, desks were broken in half, and almost everything was in disarray.

"Chloe, what happened?" Clark asked worriedly.

"Go away, Clark," Chloe said flatly.

Emmeline ran up and put her arms on her. Clark joined her.

"Are you okay?"

"Physically, yeah, I'm fine. Emotionally…what do you care?"

"I want to help. No matter what it takes, we'll get the Torch back on its feet."

Chloe furiously turned to him forcing Emmeline to let go. "There is no 'we' anymore Clark! There's only me! And this paper was my whole life! It was the one place I could come to when everyone and everything let me down, and now, I don't even have that anymore."

She furiously started walking to the door.

"Where are you going?" Clark called.

"To find a friend."

Emmeline and Clark looked at each other sadly and took off after her. They ended up running into Eric Marsh.

Hadn't he been arrested earlier?

"Hey, Kent," he said with a snide smile. "I heard the paper's not going to press."

Clark angrily shoved him against the lockers. "Did you do this?"

Eric took his hands off his jacket. "I don't know how you got out of that fire!" He then shoved Clark against the wall and got up in his face. "But you better back off."

"What are you doing out of jail?"

"Seems I've got friends in higher places that I didn't even know about. And suddenly, you're not so anonymous."

"I'll testify, if that's what it takes to put you away."

"Oh, no, I'd think about that, Kent. I mean, I know you're unbreakable, but people that you care about…aren't. I'd sure hate to think something happened to those wholesome parents of yours."

Clark sped off at his threat, and Emmeline prayed that Martha and Jonathon were okay.

Eric looked at Emmeline. "It's Emmeline, right? Well, how about we go and have a little fun of our own?"

"Sorry, I don't date people who have nothing better to do with their time than go after people I care about. And I'll tell you this. If you ever do anything to hurt Chloe like that ever again, I will make sure that you hurt even more."

"Is that a threat?"

"Yes. It is."

"I could go to the police with that, you know."

"It's my word against yours. And who's going to believe that the girl who is far too scared to open her mouth could possibly make a threat against someone like you?"

* * *

Due to Clark's ability to be Clark, Eric was stopped and everyone was safe once again.

Emmeline went inside the Talon and found Lana crying at a table. She ran over and sat down across from her. "Lana, what is it?"

"It's Henry Small."

"What about him?"

"I had to part with him."

"What are you talking about?"

Lana sighed. "Remember when we saw Jennifer Small a couple days ago? That man she was with was a divorce attorney. She was divorcing him because I had come between them. And I had to let him go so he can repair his marriage."

"Oh, Lana, I am so sorry. That's not fair to you at all."

"I just feel like every time I try to get close to someone, life comes and snatches them away."

Emmeline gave her a small smile. "I'm still here." She went over and hugged her as she continued to cry.

* * *

"Miss Sullivan. Miss Brooks."

The two girls stopped fixing up the office and turned to find Lionel in the room.

"Mr. Luthor," Chloe said surprised.

"Your principal told me you might be here. I hope I'm not interrupting you."

"No. No, I mean I'm…I've never entertained a billionaire before. Um, you'll have to excuse the destruction. We were recently vandalized."

"Ah, so I heard. By the same men who hijacked my truck, I think."

"Actually, there's still a question. Eric Marsh owned up to the robbery of the truck and the assault, but he said he didn't have anything to do with the Torch."

"Hmm."

"I mean, why confess to the heavy crimes and deny that?"

"Well, it's not easy to understand the criminal mind." He walked over to Chloe's wall where she was in the process of re-pinning all her articles up. "What's this? Hmm…this is an interesting display."

"Yeah, I call it The Wall of Weird."

"I'll come to the point, Miss Sullivan. I'd like to help you rebuild. I've instructed the LuthorCorp Foundation to make a donation to your school. The funds are specifically earmarked toward rebuilding and updating the journalism department."

"Mr. Luthor, I'm confused. I mean, the struggling editor in me wants to just leave it at 'thank you', but the journalist in me has to ask 'why'?"

"I'm impressed with your, um, willingness to explore alternative ideas, options. You interned at the Daily Planet this summer, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm. Well, I have a little influence there. They certainly could use some new blood. Maybe, um, a column…to introduce your unique point of view."

Chloe laughed nervously. "I…I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but…I don't understand why the most powerful man in the city is interested in helping me."

"We're after the same thing, Miss Sullivan: the truth. You know, um, journalists are the midwives of history. Perhaps, with my help, we could, uh…make history together."

Lionel handed her a business card and left the office. Emmeline didn't know what to make of his offer. She had heard enough stories to know that he didn't help anyone without an ulterior motive.

Whatever was going on, she didn't trust him.


	42. Accelerate

The tension was a bit thick between Clark and Chloe just like it was between Emmeline and Pete. But things were slowly beginning to die down. Currently, all of them were at the Talon watching one of Emmeline's favorite classic horror movies, _House on Haunted Hill._

"Now I'm going to knock on the other wall," Lance said to Nora on the screen. "When you hear me, you knock on this wall."

"What is she, crazy?" Pete murmured. He then yelled at the characters, "Hey, get that candle and get your butt out of there!"

"I don't think she can hear you, Pete," Clark laughed.

Emmeline smiled at the two boys' banter.

"Guys, hit the mute button okay?" Chloe said sharply.

Nora stood back up and came face to face with a very scary-looking old woman. Everyone in the theater jumped as the music intensified and Nora screamed.

Chloe and Emmeline chuckled at the good old-fashioned horror movie jump scare. Their smiles disappeared when they looked over and found Lana's hand on Clark's. Lana awkwardly took her hand away when she realized what she had done.

Emmeline blew a puff of air out though her cheeks. As if Chloe needed more of that put on her. Things were already difficult enough with Lana and Clark.

The next day, Chloe and Emmeline entered the Torch office to find Clark on one of the computers.

"Uh, sorry, Clark," Chloe said awkwardly. "When you turned in your press pass, you relinquished all of your computer privileges. I don't mean to be hall monitor, but it is school policy."

"I'm trying to help Lana," Clark answered.

Chloe hung her coat up on the hook. "Of course you are. What are you saving her from today?"

"She's being haunted by a girl who died six years ago."

"Okay, I'm piqued."

"So am I," Emmeline added as they came over to him. "What's going on?"

"She thinks it's a ghost, but I'm not so sure," Clark explained. "It's not like people haven't come back to life around here."

"Even though it goes against my natural slant towards all things Wall of Weird, I think there's another explanation for this," Chloe told him. "Look, Lana's been through a lot in her life. Maybe this haunting is a way she's dealing with it through her subconscious."

"You think she's seeing things that aren't there?"

"No, I think to her, they're very real."

"She's not crazy."

"I wasn't saying she's crazy. All I'm saying is there's a lot of things about Lana you don't know. I mean, you don't hear her crying in her room at three o'clock in the morning. What you see is just a mask."

Emmeline sighed. On several different occasions when she had stayed over at Chloe's house for the night, the both of them had heard Lana crying in her room, but they both knew that there was nothing they could do to help.

"Why are you telling me this?" Clark asked.

"Because she talks to you. Now regardless of what's going on between us, she's still our friend."

Chloe started to leave.

"Chloe," Clark called. "Thanks."

"Lock up when you're done?"

Clark looked at Emmeline. "How is she doing?"

"She's working through it. Besides, she's got me."

Clark smiled. "How's your mom by the way?"

"All healed up. We're going out tonight to celebrate her recovery."

"I'm so glad to hear she's okay."

"Yeah. Um, how's your mom doing? You know, with the baby?"

"Everything is just fine. The pregnancy is doing great and both the mom and the baby are in perfect health."

"That's great news. Are you excited to be a big brother?"

"Yeah. But I'm also kinda nervous."

"Don't be. Any baby would be lucky to have you as a brother."

* * *

Clark headed back over to the old Dinsmore house after he got the news that the clones of Emily had disappeared mere moments after he and Lana had been there.

When he got to the stairs, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he ran into Emmeline.

"Em, what are you doing here?"

"I heard about what happened," she answered. "I guess Chloe's interest in the strange and weird has rubbed off on me. I wanted to see for myself."

The two of them walked down the stairs and looked over to find a little girl, Emily, sitting in a rocking chair, reading a journal.

"I saw them," Emily said to them softly.

"The people who took everything away?" Clark asked.

Emily shook her head. "The sleeping girls. Why are they like me?"

Clark knelt down to her level. "Emily—"

"My daddy said I can't remember anything because I had an accident."

"You don't remember anything because you didn't write that. A different Emily did."

"She's the girl buried in the graveyard, isn't she?"

"Yeah. This is her story. But you have to write your own."

"Why would my daddy lie to me?"

Emmeline went to other side of her and knelt down as well. She gently reached out and touched Emily's arm. "Sometimes parents don't know how to explain the truth to their children. It could be hard for them to hear."

"He probably thought that telling you the truth would make you feel different," Clark added. "But there's nothing wrong with being different. I'm different too. It doesn't change who we are."

"Yes, it does."

Emily got up and sped off faster than Emmeline could process.

"Clark, did you see that?" she asked.

They both stood up and met the brightness from Lex's flashlight.

"Lex, what are you doing here?" Clark demanded.

"I could ask the same of you two," Lex replied. "I met Emily Dinsmore. You can't blame me for being a little intrigued after I found out she died six years ago."

"So you don't know anything about the lab that was down here?" Lex just looked at Clark with a questioning expression on his face. "They cloned Emily here. That's why your father's been refining meteor rocks."

"What are you talking about?"

"There were jars of them right where you were standing."

Lex looked around for a second. "Before Dinsmore left LuthorCorp, he was, uh, developing a technique to speed up cell growth. He claimed he could incubate a rabbit embryo to adulthood in a matter of days."

"He's been using the meteor rocks as Miracle-Gro. That's why Emily looks like she's 10 years old already."

"All ethics aside, it's an astonishing accomplishment."

"Yeah, well, tell that to the little girl who doesn't know who she is."

Emmeline looked from Lex to Clark. Only in Smallville could someone successfully clone his daughter.

* * *

For reasons Emmeline didn't fully understand, Emily disappeared after nearly killing Lana. She had reason to suspect a Luthor had something to do with it, but she didn't have any proof of that.

"Em," Pete called. He came up next to her as they walked through the halls. "Look, I don't want to do anything to freak you out, but I was hoping you'd grab a coffee with me at the Talon this afternoon. I just want to talk."

Emmeline sighed. "Sure. Why not?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll get a coffee with you."

As she watched Pete walk off, she sighed again. She wasn't sure she was ready to open herself up to him again, but she knew that she had to start letting him back in eventually.

It was time to start over.


	43. Calling

Chloe and Emmeline walked into the Talon and went up beside Lana at the counter.

"Chloe. Em," she greeted with a smile.

"Yes," Chloe said. "The two names you won't find on the list for Smallville's biggest event of the century." Lana smiled pitifully. "Don't worry. It's not like we're holding out for our fairy godmothers to bring us our glass slippers."

Lana laughed. "It's okay. I'm still not convinced Lex won't have me in a headset running around with ice buckets."

Chloe held up one of the invitations. "Is this what you were doing until 2:00 in the morning last night?"

Lana's eyes widened and she hesitated a bit before answering, "Yeah."

Emmeline could tell she was lying, but she chose not to say anything.

"Well, look, uh, I can't vouch for my calligraphy skills, but if you need any help just let me know."

Clark entered the Talon and joined them all at the counter. "Hey, guys. I'd like a double espresso please."

Chloe looked up at him to find him looking really worn down. "Whoa. Were you burning the midnight oil last night too?"

Clark looked over at Lana's whose eyes widened a little again. "I was…just working on a toast for Lex's dinner."

"Oh."

Now they were both lying. Judging from the looks between them, it was clear something happened the previous night that neither of them wanted to share with Chloe or Emmeline. It didn't take much to guess what the thing was.

Pete came up behind them and joined them all as well. "Chloe, Em, ready to go?"

Chloe didn't answer as she looked from Lana to Clark. All four of them sat in awkward silence as they looked at one another.

"Everybody okay?" Pete asked.

"Yeah."

"Fine."

"Great."

"Perfect."

Pete looked at everyone as the chorus of voices reached him. "Just checking."

"Right," Chloe smiled awkwardly as she hopped out of her chair. "Well, we better get going. We have ashes to sweep and wicked stepsisters to undermine."

* * *

On the day of Lex's rehearsal dinner, Chloe and Emmeline headed over to the Kent farm and listened as Clark went over his speech.

"Dear guests…No, there's got to be something else. Um…Friends and family."

The two girls smiled at each other and finally decided to make themselves known.

"The first line's always the hardest," Chloe smiled as she looked up at him.

"Hey, guys," Clark said. "What's up?"

"Big news. Your friend Dr. Walden woke up."

"I wouldn't exactly call him a friend of mine," he told them as he began to descend down the steps.

"Well, anyway, I was just wondering if you wanted to come out of retirement and do the story with us."

"Hey, I appreciate the offer, but now really isn't a good time."

"I didn't mean right this second, Clark." There was an awkward pause before she continued, "I wish things could be like they were."

"Yeah, me too."

"I just feel like there's this huge rift between us and no matter how hard I try, I can't get back to you."

"We'll get there, Chloe. It's just gonna take a little bit of time."

"Well, whatever happens, let's just promise to be honest with each other. I mean, you're a big boy, Em and I are big girls. I think we can handle it. As long as we tell the truth."

"I agree," Emmeline said. "Any good relationship is built on trust. Please just give us that."

"Okay, well, we'd better get going. You have your rehearsal dinner and we have the Torch. So…" Chloe started to walk away. "Break a leg, Clark," she called back.

"Let us know how it went."

The two girls headed to the Torch to do some late night work since they hadn't been invited to Lex's wedding.

"How are things with Pete?" Chloe asked.

Emmeline turned from her desk and looked at her friend with a playful annoyed face. "Not as icy if that's what you're asking. We got a coffee a few days ago and just talked. We're basically just starting back from where we began last year."

"Well that kind of sucks."

"Yeah…"

"I guess it's good that you're starting to repair things. It's better than nothing."

"I suppose."

They worked in silence for a few more minutes before they heard, "I certainly do admire your work ethic, ladies. Late at night, here you both are, still at it."

Emmeline turned around in her seat to find Lionel Luthor in the Torch office with them.

Chloe quickly switched whatever was displaying on her computer. "Yeah. Well, we weren't invited to the rehearsal dinner, so…"

"Yes, we have a lot in common. I spoke to the, uh, managing editor at the Daily Planet. It's all set. A weekly column on current affairs from the, uh, young person's perspective."

Chloe let out a small excited laugh. "I don't know how to thank you."

"Nurturing a promising young talent is a reward in itself. And I've, uh, I've got your first assignment." He sat on her desk and looked at her. "A complete investigative profile of Clark Kent."

Chloe's brow furrowed. "What possible interest could the Daily Planet have in a farm boy from Smallville?"

"This isn't for the Daily Planet. I'm sure they'll be in touch with you. No, this is for me. Just, uh, combine it with, uh, any research about his family you already have."

Emmeline knew that man was up to something. Lionel Luthor didn't do anything nice for someone for nothing in return.

Chloe scoffed and stood up. "Wow. I blew off my journalistic skepticism and allowed myself to actually believe that you were interested in just helping me."

"You're playing in the real world now, Miss Sullivan. You have to give to get."

Chloe leaned onto her desk and got quite close to his face. "Mr. Luthor, I don't know what your interest is in Clark, but you can take the job offer and shove it down your thousand-dollar pants."

Emmeline put her hand to her mouth to suppress a laugh. She absolutely loved Chloe more than anything in that moment. She got up from her desk and walked over to her best friend.

Lionel stood up from the desk. "Clark's very lucky to have a friend like you. All that integrity. I-I wonder, though, if he had to make a choice, would he sacrifice his dream out of loyalty to you?"

As Lionel shrugged and walked to the door, Emmeline called out after him, "I like to think that he would."

Lionel paused for a moment and then walked out of the office. Emmeline smiled to herself, proud that for the first time in a situation like this, she had gotten the last word.

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline rushed to Clark's house to warn him about what Lionel had told them. He needed to know that such a powerful man was looking for any means to get information on him.

But they were not prepared for what they walked in on.

The two girls froze when they saw Lana and Clark passionately kissing. It didn't bother Emmeline since she only liked Clark as a friend, but she didn't need to see the tears in Chloe's eyes to know that such a sight was basically killing her.

Emmeline put her arms around her and ushered her out of the loft and away from such a painful place.

She hugged Chloe tightly and let her best friend cry into her arms. She let out a large sigh as she looked back up at the loft sadly.

As much as it hurt, they had always seen this coming.


	44. Exodus

Pete and Emmeline exited the Talon and began walking down the sidewalk.

"So, are you going to Lex's wedding?" Emmeline asked him.

"No, you know me and the Luthors have never really been on the best of terms. Besides, I wasn't invited."

"It's okay. I wasn't either. Probably for the best. I find weddings so boring."

"What if it was your own?"

"That's different and you know it."

"If you say so."

Emmeline nervously played with the end of her shirt sleeves. "I should, uh, get going. I'm meeting with Chloe."

"Okay. It was nice getting coffee again."

"Yeah…"

Emmeline took off to her car and let out a sigh. She wished things with Pete were like they were before.

* * *

Emmeline stopped by Chloe's house as they prepared to head out. She went up the stairs and saw Chloe in front of Lana's door. The two girls peeked in and saw Lana admiring the dress she was going to wear to Lex's wedding.

"I'm sure you'll render Clark speechless," Chloe said.

Lana quickly turned around and put the dress away. "Chloe, Em, hi."

The two girls walked into the room. "Be careful you two don't upstage the bride and groom."

"What do you mean?"

"You two are going together, I assume."

Lana's eyes widened a little. "Yeah, yeah. As friends."

Chloe paused for a second, knowing how much of a lie that was. "Right. Friends."

"Have either of you seen Clark? He's been looking for you two."

"No. Uh, we've been trying to track him down all day, but his parents said that he was mired in best man duties. Uh, when did you see him last?"

Lana stared at them for a second as her eyes continued to stay wide. She always did that when she lied. "Oh, um, I ran into him at the Talon. He, uh, wanted to talk to you two, said it was important."

"Well, I guess it couldn't be as important as you thought. Have fun tomorrow."

Chloe and Emmeline left the room and Chloe sighed heavily as she shook her head. Emmeline didn't know what to do for her best friend. For the most part, she couldn't even understand how she felt at the moment. After all, it had been a while since her crush on Clark had disappeared.

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline pulled up to Clark's house and saw him about to enter the loft.

"Hey, Clark, I'm glad we caught you before the wedding," Chloe said as the two girls hopped out of the car.

"Chloe, Em, what are you doing here?" he asked nervously.

"Is everything okay? I mean, we heard you were looking for us."

"Yeah, um, I was, but…" He started pushing the two of them back towards her car. "I can't talk to you two right now."

"What are you doing?"

"Look, I promise I'll find you both later."

"Clark, I—"

"Don't worry. I'll find you both, okay?"

Chloe looked after him hardly. "So how'd you decide? Rock-paper-scissors, coin toss, or did you just happen to draw the short straw?"

"Decide?"

She and Emmeline angrily started walking over to him. "Who was gonna tell us that you and Lana are together."

Clark grimaced. "You both know?"

"Yeah. We came over to the barn the other night to warn you about something."

"About what?"

"You know, it doesn't matter now. The point is we saw you and Lana in a major lip-lock."

"I-I didn't mean—"

"Didn't what, Clark? Newsflash. You've always been in love with Lana. I tried to deny it, thinking that maybe we could work something out, but it's like fate, Clark. Inevitable, but always surprising when it actually happens."

"I was gonna tell you both."

"Really? Because obviously it was on the top of your 'To Do List'. You know, I can deal with the fact that you guys are together. It hurts, but I was prepared for it. But we just made a promise to be honest with each other, and you didn't have the guts to keep you word!"

"Chloe—"

"Or was it just that it was too much fun making a fool of me that you couldn't reveal your secret?" She spun around and angrily stormed back to the car. "Have a nice life, Clark."

Clark looked over at Emmeline in shock. She just gave him an apologetic look and shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

* * *

Emmeline was sitting in her house when the lights suddenly cut off and she could make out a quiet boom in the distance.

"Mom!" she called heading down the stairs. "What happened to the power?"

"I think we just had too much plugged in at once. Your father's going to check the breaker."

"But did you hear that noise?"

"What noise?"

"I'm sure it was nothing."

But it was clear Chloe had rubbed off on her. Emmeline couldn't get her mind off the noise she had heard. She drove to Clark's house since it had from that direction.

When she pulled up, she saw that Lana had come too. They found Clark out in the field standing in a crater.

"Clark, what happened?" Lana asked. "Looks like a bomb went off. Where are your parents?"

Clark didn't turn around. "Hospital. They're fine. My mom lost the baby."

Emmeline gasped quietly.

"The baby?" Lana said as she took a step closer.

"Clark, I am so, so sorry," Emmeline told him.

"This is all my fault," Clark said numbly. "I did this."

"How could you do this?" Lana asked.

"The same way I always do. I bring pain and suffering to everyone's lives."

"Clark, that's not true."

"Yes, Lana, it is."

"No, it isn't," Emmeline said firmly. "Without you, so many of us would be dead now. You've saved our lives on more than one occasion."

"I've kept so much from you," Clark told them. "Both of you. If you knew the truth, neither of you would ever talk to me again."

"I don't believe that," Lana said.

Clark's eyes filled with tears. "I tried to cover up my past and push it away. I-I couldn't. He said if I didn't go, everyone I love would be hurt. He was right."

Lana went over to him. "Clark, you're in shock. You're not making any—"

When she touched him, he quickly spun around and backed away from them. "No, Lana, stay from me. Stay away from me before I hurt you too."

Clark took off. Lana and Emmeline shared a sad look, neither of them knowing what to say.

* * *

"Emmeline!" Lana said urgently into her phone. "Clark's gone!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"He got on his motorcycle and just left! I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me! He's left Smallville!"

Emmeline felt all the air leave her lungs. Clark was gone? How could he just be gone? What would they do now? How were his parents going to feel?

She numbly drove over to a place she hadn't been for months.

"Em?" Pete said concerned as he answered the door. "What's wrong?"

"Clark's gone!" she said tearfully. "Lana just called me. He just left us!"

"He did what?"

"Pete, I am sorry. You have been nothing but nice to me and I have just pushed you away. I didn't mean to be so horrible. It wasn't you who hit me. I know that. I've always known that."

"It's okay, Em. Really."

"I feel like there's something wrong with me. Everyone's leaving me. First my parents didn't want me, then Ryan, then everything with Mom, and now Clark!"

Pete came out onto his porch and hugged her tightly. Emmeline cried in his arms as his hand rubbed the back of her hair.

"I'm still here," he said gently. "I'm not leaving."

* * *

 **With that, I FINALLY wrap up Season 2! I've got some big plans for Season 3, so super stoked to start writing that :)  
**


	45. Exile

**To all the people who have been wanting more action from Emmeline, you will get your wish this season. In my defense, last season really didn't give me a lot to work with as far as Emmeline went. This season, however, is giving me a WHOLE lot, and I have got some big plans for our favorite girl!**

* * *

It had been several days since Clark had decided to leave Smallville. School had let out and everyone was home for the summer.

Emmeline had spent nearly every day at Pete's house, seeking the comfort from him that Clark had taken away.

Currently, the two of them were sitting in front of the fireplace.

"Why do you think he did it?" Emmeline asked.

"Grief can make people do some crazy things. He was really beat up about losing the baby. And you know Clark. He blames himself for everything."

Emmeline looked over at Pete. "You've been his best friend for years. I can see why he thinks so much of you. You're always there when we need you."

"Yeah, that's me," Pete laughed lightly. "The moral support."

"You were always there for _me_. When I was still terrified to utter two words, when I was trying to get over what Greg did to me, when Mom got cancer…just everything."

"Emmeline, can I tell you something?"

Emmeline nodded slowly, taking note of the fact that he called her by her full name for the first time in months.

"Remember the Nicodemus flower?"

"How can I forget? It made me go nuts."

Pete laughed lightly. "Well…I'll never forget seeing you on the hospital bed unconscious. I was terrified you weren't going to make it. I took your hand, and I said that you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever laid eyes on. And you know…nothing's changed."

Emmeline couldn't believe what she was hearing. A part of her knew that she always liked Pete as more than a friend, but she never knew that he liked her before she liked him.

The two of them met eyes, and Emmeline realized how much they pulled her in. They drew closer to one another until the gap between them was nonexistent. As their lips caressed one another, Emmeline let her arms circle around his neck in what was the best moment of her life.

* * *

 _Three Months Later_

Clark remained missing for the entirety of the summer. With the exception of Pete and Emmeline becoming an official couple and Chloe getting her own column at the Daily Planet, the past few months had been rather uneventful.

Chloe had been acting kind of weird, like there was some big secret she was keeping from Emmeline. But every time Emmeline questioned her about it, she insisted that there was nothing to tell.

The two girls headed down to the Talon for the first time in a while.

"Hey," Chloe greeted to Lana as she bussed some tables. "I haven't seen you in like a week. I was wondering if we still lived under the same roof."

"I'm swamped here," Lana answered. "Your dad said you spent the entire afternoon at the Daily Planet.

"Yeah, as far as my editor's concerned, picking up his dry cleaning is more of a priority than meeting face-to-face with the junior columnist. I thought maybe we could all have lunch."

"I'm gonna have to pass," Emmeline said. "Pete's taking me out to lunch in a couple hours."

"I can't either," Lana added. "With Lex gone the Talon's been relegated to LuthorCorp accountants who have no interest in a coffee shop in Smallville."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Uh, well, if you need a ride to Lex's funeral, I'm always available for chauffeuring and moral support."

"Thanks. I'm going with the Kents."

"Have you heard from Clark?"

Lana shook her head. "I was thinking of staying in Metropolis with Nell for a few days. I feel guilty I haven't spent more time searching for him."

"He's not lost, Lana."

"You both may have written him off, but I can't give up hope."

"That's not fair," Emmeline said. "We haven't written him off. We just know that we have to let him decide to come back on his own."

"Clark ran away," Chloe stated. "He made a conscious decision to leave his friends, his family, and the girl he claimed to love."

Lana looked at her hurt for a second before heading over to the counter.

Chloe quickly followed her, realizing she'd hit a nerve. "Lana, I know we've said our piece about what happened and we can continue doing the avoidance dance we've perfected all summer, but the fact is I'm worried about you."

"I'm the last person you need to worry about."

"Pining over Clark only leads to personal misery. Trust me, I wrote the book. Now you need to move on. He obviously has."

"I don't believe that. I just think he's waiting for the right person to find him."

* * *

Emmeline was in Clark's loft, slowly walking around, admiring all of his possessions. She heard footsteps on the stairs and saw Pete coming up.

"Mrs. Kent said I'd find you up here."

Emmeline looked up at him. "I miss him."

"Yeah…I do too."

"Tell me a story about Clark."

Pete motioned her over to the couch. "The first time I met him, I was a dorky little first-grader, scared to death at the large building where I was supposed to go to school. So Clark comes over to me, and even at the age of seven, he towered over me. I'm mentally freaking out, sure that he's coming to give me a piece of his mind. Instead he just smiles and says that he's scared too. The two of us walked into the building together and found out we were in the same classroom. We've been best friends ever since."

Emmeline smiled. "Clark hasn't changed very much."

Pete put his arm around her shoulders and they relaxed on the couch. "No. Despite it all, he really hasn't."

* * *

Emmeline and Chloe quickly went to Clark's apartment. Chloe knocked on the door, but no one answered. Just as she was peeking in to see if he was ignoring them, the elevator dinged and Clark stepped out.

"Clark, we need to talk to you about—"

Clark started coming for them and backed them into the railing. "Chloe, I told you both to never come back here again! Who else knows I'm here?"

"No one. Your secret's safe with us, but we need to talk."

He turned to go into the penthouse. "I'm busy."

Chloe followed him and forbid him from closing the door before barging in. "Well, we're coming in. Now what's your deal? You come to Metropolis and you're a completely different person."

"Maybe it's the real me."

"I refuse to believe that," Emmeline said. "The real you was the one who saved me from Greg and from falling off a cliff while a demon flower poisoned me. The real you saved Chloe from Justin and Sean. The real you saved Lana from Tina and Ian."

"Em is right," Chloe told him. "If this is the real you, then I definitely prefer the country Clark." She looked around her at his apartment. "Now…how did you afford all this?"

"Why, Chloe?" Clark asked. "So you can put me in your column and write a big story about me? Maybe that's why you kept my secret."

"We kept your secret because you asked us to. We were hoping that if we left you alone, you'd get a grip and come home. Now there are people in Smallville that still haven't given up on the search."

"I've erased Smallville from my past," Clark told her as he sat down in a chair.

"Really? Is that why you're still wearing your school ring?"

Clark guiltily touched the ring around his finger, the red rock in it seeming to glow brighter than usual.

"You know, sooner or later someone else is gonna find you."

"You were lucky."

"Maybe so. But what are you gonna do if one day Lana shows up on your doorstep, or your dad? How are you gonna explain this to them?"

"I'm through explaining myself to anyone!"

"Clark, Lana is a wreck and your parents are losing the farm!"

Clark stood up and walked away from them. "What do I care? I'm never gonna go back anyway."

"Clark, you were not forced into exile. You ran away from your problems. You are not being noble, you're being a coward!"

Clark screamed in frustration and angrily pushed the both of them to the door with the scariest face Emmeline had ever seen. "Chloe, Emmeline, get out! If either of you tell anyone where I am, I'll go so far away from Metropolis that no one will ever find me!"

Chloe pulled herself out of his grip. "I don't even know who you are anymore."

"Get out!" Clark screamed in their faces.

Emmeline brought her hand up and slapped him hard on the face. "When you're done convincing yourself that you're someone you're not, feel free to come home."

* * *

Emmeline and Chloe looked over to find Lana coming down the stairs.

Chloe quickly ran over to her. "Lana, hey, the other day, I, uh, I didn't mean to push my own personal brand of self-denial on you."

"It's okay, Chloe," Lana said. "We're all dealing with Clark in our own way."

"Yeah, and my way is to pull the emotional ripcord and pretend like it didn't happen. It's a force of habit when people walk out of my life."

"I can't give up on him without a fight. I already blew it once."

"Blew it? How?"

"When Clark was leaving he asked me to go with him. I said no, but I can't help thinking that if I had gone, I could have convinced him to come home."

"Lana, you can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved."

"I love him." She looked up at the two girls, specifically Chloe, for their reactions.

"It's okay," Chloe said with a small smile. "Your feelings for Clark aren't exactly breaking news."

"And if you feel for him anything of what I feel for Pete, I completely understand," Emmeline told her.

"I saw him yesterday," Lana told them. "Just for a second at Lex's funeral."

"Are you sure?" Chloe asked.

"Positive. But he took off right away. I'm gonna go back up there and post these." She held up flyers with Clark's picture, and the words 'Have You Seen This Boy?' above it. "Could you give me a lift?"

Chloe looked over at Emmeline for a second. There was a brief pause as they made eye contact.

"What?" Lana asked as she noticed their silent interaction.

"I'll give you a lift," Chloe said. "But you don't need the fliers. We know where he is."

"What?"

"Yeah, okay, you're gonna totally hate us for this, but we found him two months ago. Some friends of mine from the Planet snuck us into this club and there he was, and I couldn't believe it was him. So we followed him back to his apartment."

"You both have known where he's been this entire time and you haven't said anything to anybody?"

"Well, we didn't have a choice. He said if anyone else found out, he'd run away to somewhere no one would find him."

"I can't believe you've been telling me to give up on him."

"Lana, he's not acting like himself. He could be dangerous."

"Chloe's right, Lana," Emmeline said. "When we saw him, I thought for sure he was going to hit one of us. He's extremely violent right now, and it's nearly impossible to get through to him."

"Just give me the address," Lana said shortly.

"Well, we'll take you," Chloe told her.

"I think you've done enough already."

The two girls watched in sadness as Lana stormed off.

"Well, that didn't go well at all," Emmeline remarked.

* * *

Pete and Emmeline were curled up on his couch watching T.V. when Emmeline looked up at him.

"Pete, I need to tell you something," she said quietly.

"Okay, what is it?"

"You have every right to be mad at me, but…I've known where Clark is for about two months now. I-I wanted to tell you, but he said that if anyone else found out where he was, he'd leave and go where he could never be found. I was afraid of losing him forever."

Pete paused for a second. "It's okay, Em. I knew where he was for a while too. I saw some articles in the newspaper and he was in a couple of the pictures. I wanted to tell you too, but I didn't want to give you false hope about him."

"Okay. From now on, we need to be honest with each other. No more hiding these kinds of secrets."

"Agreed. Let's SWAK."

"SWAK?"

"Seal with a kiss."

Emmeline smiled and pressed her lips to his. She never could've imagined when she started work at the Torch that she would one day be dating Pete Ross. But now that it had actually happened, she never wanted to let go.


	46. Phoenix

Chloe and Emmeline were working in the Torch office together to get the next issue going when none other than Clark walked in.

Emmeline looked at him and saw in his eyes that he wasn't the same person she had seen in Metropolis. He was weighed down, yes, but he wasn't about to completely go nuts on them either.

"Kinda far from your new 'hood, aren't you, Clark?" Chloe asked coldly.

"I just came to say thank you."

"Oh, it's one of those days. Because I can never tell with you, whether you're gonna walk in and it's gonna be an apology or an accusation."

"Chloe, I gave you and Em absolutely no reason to stand by me. But you both knew where I was all summer and didn't tell anyone."

"Yeah, well, that's what friends do for each other, Clark."

"Not to mention you didn't really give us much of a choice," Emmeline added.

"Talk to Lana yet?"

Clark walked over and sat down in one of the chairs. "I tried."

"That's it? After two years of nonstop Lana lusting, that's the best you can do? Come on."

"I think it's for the best."

Chloe looked at him for a second and then realized what he meant. "You're not staying, are you?"

"I haven't made up my mind yet."

"You can't keep running away, Clark. We all do things we regret. Sometimes you have to stop and face your demons."

"If people in Smallville ran away every time they made a mistake, there would be no people left," Emmeline told him. "You have to realize that running away isn't just affecting you. It affects everyone who cares about you. And to be honest, it's a selfish decision because you're only thinking about yourself and how you feel. You're not giving thought about anyone else's feelings."

Clark looked up at his friend, slowly realizing just how right she was.

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline walked into the Talon to grab a coffee before heading back to the Torch.

"Hey!" Chloe said brightly to Lana.

Lana looked at the two girls with an extremely intense glare before walking towards the counter.

"You can't keep avoiding us, Lana."

"I'm not avoiding either of you. I had to work late last night and I had errands to run this morning."

"At 5:30 in the morning?"

Lana paused and then turned to face the both of them. "You want to cut the pretenses? Fine. You both lied to me about Clark."

"Something we all have in common then."

"I have apologized to the both of you a hundred times for not telling you about Clark and me."

"You're right and we're over it," Chloe said quickly as they all went to the counter. "So let us say 'I'm sorry' and we can all call it even."

"Chloe, this is so much bigger than me. How could you let everyone worry like that?"

"Because the more pressure we put on him, the more he pulled away. I mean, you saw him, Lana. He wasn't exactly the charming flannel king we all know and love. It was like he was a…"

"A different person."

"Yeah. Let's face it, Lana. Clark has more issues than 'Rolling Stone'." After a pregnant pause, she continued, "Look, we know what we did was wrong, and as much as I hate to admit it, it felt really good being the person he confided in again."

"Clark's always been more comfortable talking to you two."

"It's because he's not in love with us."

"Look, Lana," Emmeline said. "We wanted to tell you. We wanted to tell everyone. But we were scared that he would leave if we told anyone. The last thing either of us wanted was to not know where he was anymore."

"I love him, Em. I deserved to know where he was."

"Even if it meant losing him forever?"

* * *

Emmeline knocked on the door to the Kent farm.

"Hi, Emmeline!" Martha smiled. "Come in!"

Emmeline walked through the door and entered the house. "I, uh, I heard your family had quite a scare."

"What do you mean?"

"Lana told me about the crazy movers."

"Oh, that. Well, they've definitely been taken care of. We won't be having any trouble from them anymore. Or any movers."

"Wait, what?"

Martha smiled wider. "Lex bought our farm and put our names on the deed. For all intents and purposes, the farm is ours again."

"That's great news!"

"Well, we'll leave you two to talk."

Martha and Jonathon exited the kitchen, leaving Clark and Emmeline alone.

"So…" Clark said awkwardly. "I heard about you and Pete."

Emmeline smiled a little. "I guess everyone was right last year. I really did like him, and I guess he liked me too."

"I'm glad things are working out for you."

"Trouble on the Lana-front?"

"It's complicated."

"I can only imagine. I know how much you both like each other, but after what happened these past few months, things are different."

"Look, Em, I really am sorry about…everything that happened in Metropolis. I totally deserved that slap on the face."

"It was one of those 'this hurts me more than it hurts you' moments. Believe me."

"About what you said at the Torch, you were right. I was being selfish. I was just so hurt and felt so guilty that I was blinded to everything else. It was like drug, you know? I just wanted to feel better and not feel so bad about myself. But I didn't think about the repercussions. Or how much I hurt everyone even more."

"I know you felt that it was your fault that your mother lost her baby. And I am so, so sorry that happened. I can't even begin to understand how you felt at that moment. But running away from your problems only makes it worse. And no matter what, those problems will always be hanging over your head. You can't run away from that."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"When I was seven, I broke my grandmother's porcelain doll that had been passed down for several years. I felt so guilty about it that I hid at my neighbor's house for hours. My mom and dad had nearly the entire city looking me. Finally, my neighbor found me crying in her living room. She called my mom and let her know that I was safe. The whole time I was at my neighbor's house, I couldn't get my mind off what I had done. I may not have been in the same place where it happened, but it followed me. I was punished for breaking the doll, but my mom and dad were beyond grateful that I was okay."

"That's a bit different from my situation."

"Why? We both did something that made us feel guilty, ran away because of it, and let the problem follow us. Your situation may be a little more extreme, but the root of the problem is the same."

Clark looked at Emmeline, still wondering how that girl seemed to always know the exact thing to say to hit a nerve.

"I need to go," she said to him. "I'm meeting up with Pete. But I want to do something that I have wanted to do ever since I first saw you in Metropolis."

Emmeline went up to Clark and hugged him tightly. Clark was surprised at first, but then wrapped his arms around her for the first time in over three months.


	47. Extinction

Poor Lana had had a near-death experience yet again. She had been to the Smallville High pool and one of their fellow students, Jake Pollen, tried to drown her. Fortunately for her, someone shot her attacker before he could kill her.

Pete picked up the latest issue of the Torch that Chloe and Emmeline had spent all night working on. The front page story was all about Lana's latest adventure.

"Looks like you got yourself a pinch hitter in the hero arena," Pete told Clark as he handed him the paper before taking Emmeline's hand.

"I don't know if I'd call him a hero, Pete," Clark said. "I'm just glad Lana's okay."

"Yeah, I know. Have you seen her?"

"I'm not exactly the person Lana wants to be around right now."

They passed Jake's locker that was being investigated by several police officers.

"Keep it moving," Sheriff Adams ordered to the students who had stopped to watch them work.

"I still can't believe Jake turned _Swimfan_ on Lana," Pete remarked.

Chloe walked up and joined them. "Yeah, I didn't peg him as the poolside-slasher type either. But I don't think Jake Pollen was exactly like your average teenager."

"Why would you say that?" Clark asked as they all entered the Torch office.

Chloe scoffed. "Other than the meteor rock labeled 'freak' laid next to his body?" She took a seat at her computer. "You remember that field trip we took down to Crater Lake, the one where I, uh, dropped so gracefully my keys off of the pier?"

"Yeah, I thought you were gonna call the Navy S.E.A.L.s," Pete joked.

"Jake fished them out for you," Clark recalled.

"Right, and he was under water for six minutes," Chloe told them. "Now unless you're David Blaine or a Himalayan yoga master, that's impossible."

Clark looked at her computer screen and noticed that she had pulled up one of her programs that revealed a list of names. "Hey, what's with the list?"

"Oh, just my hunches, you know, sort of anything that's off the charts. It's kind of a purgatory before you graduate to the Wall of Weird."

"You have a full file of Jake?"

Chloe clicked on Jake's name and his picture popped up with some other information about him. "Well, I started suspecting a while ago that he had amphibious abilities due to the meteor rock exposure for a while."

"You don't think you might be stretching with this one, Chloe?" Pete asked.

"I don't think Jake is the mysterious one," Clark told them. "I mean, don't you think it's a little strange? Rifle-wielding commando shows up right when Lana's getting attacked?"

"If you want to help track down the enigmatic vigilante, I would be willing to explore the Jake angle," Chloe said.

Clark looked at her for a few seconds. "That would be assuming I actually had a job here."

"Yeah, it was never clear about whose choice it was for you to quit."

Emmeline and Pete shared a small smile with each other, seeing that their two friends were finally getting along again.

"Look, Clark," Chloe continued. "I could say that I'm swamped with the Daily Planet column, but the truth is it would just be really nice to have you back."

Clark smiled warmly, and just like that, he had his job at the Torch back.

The bell rang and Pete stood up. "I gotta get to class."

He gave Emmeline a quick peck on the lips before heading out of the office.

Emmeline looked back to find Clark and Chloe smiling at her knowingly. "What?"

Chloe smirked. "Just saying, I called this months ago."

Emmeline rolled her eyes and got to work proofreading the next issue.

* * *

Once Emmeline and Chloe got evidence about Jake, they headed down to the Talon to show Lana and Clark what they had found.

Chloe decided to ignore the extreme tension between them and just walked right through them.

"Hey, so we can rule out the Himalayan yoga masters. Check out what my connection at the coroner's office gave me." She pulled out the pictures she had that revealed slits in Jake's skin and set them out on the counter. "You're not gonna see any of this in Jake's official autopsy report. Believe it or not, they're gills."

"That's disgusting," Lana remarked.

"Personally, I find the gaping bullet wound more disturbing," Clark said.

Lana looked at him in disbelief. "Okay, if that shooter hadn't shown up when he did, I'd be dead. So forgive me if I don't have more sympathy for the gill-boy who tried to drown me."

"Jake was exposed to the meteor rocks. He didn't ask for them."

"No, just like Ian Randall didn't ask to be able to duplicate himself and Tina Greer didn't ask to become a bone morpher. Look, the fact is when they got their powers, they went psycho and tried to kill me. Tina even came back for seconds. Chloe's been attacked by more of these people than me." She looked over at her friend. "You remember Justin Gaines and Sean Kelvin."

Chloe gave her a thin smile. "Yeah. One tried to psychically impale me with farm implements and the other just wanted my body heat. Thanks for the memories."

"Even Em has had her share. Greg Arkin?"

"Yeah, how could I forget the bug boy who tried to mate with me?" Emmeline said dryly.

"I'm just saying a shot in the head is a little more extreme," Clark tried to defend himself.

"What about all the times that you've saved us from these people, Clark?" Lana asked hardly. "What makes you so different from this shooter?"

"For starters, I've never killed anyone."

"Then how do you explain Tina Greer? The police found her body impaled in the alley."

"What happened to her she did to herself. I was protecting you."

"Spoken like a true vigilante."

Emmeline sighed heavily. She considered Lana a good friend, but it really annoyed her when she got incredibly defensive about herself and refused to listen to anyone else's opinions when her mind was set.

"Lana, you may think that way, but what about when the meteors helped us all figure out what happened when Chloe was kidnapped? If you hadn't been affected by them, she might've died."

Lana looked at her guiltily for a second. "That doesn't change the fact that all three of us might've died because of these freaks."

Emmeline looked away from her. Those people may have been freaks, but Clark was right. They didn't ask for it.

* * *

There was a knock on Emmeline's door and when she answered it, Chloe was standing there, looking extremely panicked.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Emmeline asked.

"…You know how last year, Lionel Luthor came to me and offered me that Daily Planet column if I provided him with information about Clark?"

Emmeline's face dawned with realization. "Chloe, what have you done?"

"Something I shouldn't have."

Emmeline allowed Chloe to come into her home and they both sat on the couch. "You told me that you got the column at the Daily Planet because it had already been set up and Lionel couldn't change it."

"I know. That wasn't true. I just didn't want you to know that I accepted his offer. Because I knew what you would say, and I didn't want to hear it. I did this right after my confrontation with Clark when I found out he and Lana were lying to me about their relationship. I was just so hurt that I wasn't thinking straight. And now…I'm in trouble."

"Why? What's up?"

"Lionel won't let me go. I tried to sever our ties today, and he threatened to fire my dad if I did."

Emmeline sighed. "I hate that man."

"Me too. And now I don't know what to do."

"I wish I could give you all the answers, but I don't have them. For now, I would recommend staying away from Lionel as much as possible. And we shouldn't let Clark know about this."

"Agreed."

* * *

The next day, Clark was sitting at his computer working on his story and Emmeline was proofreading when Chloe came into the room.

"Hey. Remember the rock that was tossed next to Jake's body with the word 'freak' written on it? It wasn't the first one the police found." She pulled out a picture of a man neither of them had seen before. "Meet Leonard Wallace, a local mechanic gunned down two weeks ago. Someone put a similar rock next to his body."

"Why do you think he was killed?" Clark asked.

"I can't be sure about that, but last month when my VW Bug was in the shop, I swear I saw his arm reach for a wrench three feet under my car. I started a file on him just in case he had some sort of stretching abilities. But unlike Jake, Wallace never went psycho."

"So Lana's mystery hero isn't out to save anyone. He's hunting them."

"Smallville's own version of a hate crime. But why?"

Clark thought for a second. "Revenge." He turned his computer around to reveal what he had been researching. It was a newspaper article about a murdered veteran. "Van McNulty's father was a marine recruiter who was killed by Tina Greer."

"Tina's dead, so he decides to go _Terminator_ on the rest."

"Van's fighting his own personal war."

Emmeline looked at her friends. "Tina really was nuts. Even more than Greg and that's seriously saying something."

Later that day, Clark came running into the office wondering why Van had gone after Lex.

"Think about it, Clark," Chloe said. "Lex survived the meteor shower, a near-fatal car accident, and a plane crash. Even he doesn't have enough money to afford a guardian angel with that much clout. Check this out." She pulled up a file on Lex similar to Jake's. "Lex's medical records show that he has a white blood cell count that is off the charts. I mean, it's more than enough to raise an eyebrow."

"You've been keeping a file on Lex, too," Clark said a bit ticked off. "Chloe, didn't you learn your lesson about keeping your secret files?"

"They're my own private notes. Since when is curiosity a crime?"

"Since someone took your database and turned it into a personal hit list. Van had a printout of the same file on his bulletin board."

Chloe looked at the screen in shock. "Van helped network half these computers. He must've cracked my password. Oh, Clark. This is all my fault."

Emmeline came over to her friend and rubbed her shoulder encouragingly. "No, it's not."

"Chloe, I'm sorry," Clark apologized. "I didn't mean to blame you. It's not like you pulled the trigger."

"No, I just loaded the gun and pointed it in the right direction," Chloe told him tearfully.

* * *

Emmeline was in the Torch office alone getting some proofreading done. It was rare that she was there without Chloe, but it happened. She was just trying to get everything done quickly so she could stop by Pete's house for a little while.

She looked up at the sound of yelling not far from the office. She slowly walked out, being careful not to make any noises with her shoes, and went to the source of the shouts.

Emmeline jumped when she heard gunshots ring out through the halls. She finally found the source of the commotion. Van had Lana tied up on the floor behind him while he shot at Clark.

Clark remained unharmed.

"I told you he was a freak," Van said to Lana.

Lana looked over and saw Emmeline watching the confrontation. They locked eyes and nodded. Emmeline jumped out of her hiding spot and punched Van in the face. Lana then delivered a spin-kick and he crashed into the glass display case next to them.

"You're the freak," Lana said. She walked up to Clark as Emmeline undid the ropes binding her hands behind her. "Clark, how did you…"

"It's all about dressing for the occasion," Clark told them.

He opened his shirt and they found his whole chest covered in lead with meteor rock bullets wedged in it.

"What is that, lead?" Lana asked.

Clark smiled at them. Emmeline could not understand how his mind worked. Who would've possibly thought to cover their body in lead?

* * *

The next night, both Emmeline and Chloe were working in the Torch office. Emmeline had insisted that after the previous night, she was not going to be working there by herself again for a while.

"You hit a glitch, Miss Sullivan?"

Both of them turned to find Lionel Luthor walking into the room. Emmeline's heart sank.

"Could you give us a minute, Miss Brooks?"

Emmeline nodded without a word and left the room. However, she stayed right outside the door out of Lionel's sight so that she could hear the following conversation.

"I know a very capable computer technician who might have some familiarity with your setup."

"How could I be so idiotic?" Chloe berated herself. "You donate the computers and then send your experts in to set them up."

"Yeah, philanthropy. I've always prided myself on that."

"What about tampering with a high school student's personal computer?"

"I think you'll find your personal computer is on loan to the school as the property of the LuthorCorp foundation."

"You are so low, you're subterranean. You know, Clark's files aren't even on this hard drive. Do you really think I'd be that stupid?"

"My interest doesn't end with Clark Kent. I'm intrigued by your whole body of work. I'd hate to see your valuable research evaporate into ether, but I will not allow information that concerns my son to be made available to anyone who can hack their way into your personal files."

"Mr. Luthor, I'm very sorry about what happened to Lex. These files were never meant to be seen by anyone other than me."

"I warn you. If I ever catch you investigating a member of my family again, a computer glitch will be the least of your problems." There was a pause before he added, "Good night, Miss Sullivan."

Realizing he was about to come out, Emmeline quickly and quietly rounded the corner before he figured out that she had been eavesdropping. Once the coast was clear, she slowly entered the office again.

"Chloe…"

"I don't even know how he found out about this list…"

"You have to tell someone about this. He threatened you."

"It's my word against his, Em. And Lionel Luthor knows how to turn things in his favor. Even if I told someone, it would only hurt me in the end."

* * *

Emmeline walked to her car at the end of the school day, eager to go to Pete's house to do some homework and watch a movie.

"Emmeline?" someone said cautiously.

Emmeline turned to find a woman approaching her. She didn't know why, but she swore that she had seen this woman before.

"Do I know you?" she asked with a polite smile.

"Well…sort of. I guess, in a way, I'm part of you."

Emmeline's eyes widened.

"Mom?"


	48. Slumber

Things had been a whirlwind since Emmeline's biological mother had decided to reappear in the girl's life.

She introduced herself as Hannah and had a long conversation with Emmeline's adoptive parents. She insisted that she just wanted a chance to get to know her daughter, but that she wouldn't do anything to disrupt the life they currently led.

"What happened?" Emmeline asked Hannah when they were alone. "Why did you leave me?"

"I was only 16, Emmeline," Hannah told her. "Your father left after you were born. I just wasn't ready to take care of a baby. Look, a mother only wants what's best for her child. And what you have now is better than anything I ever could've given you."

"Why didn't you stay?"

"You'll never know how painful it is to have to give away your baby because you can't take care of it yourself. I was young, and I didn't know what else to do."

Emmeline shook her head. This was so much to take in all at once.

One by one, Emmeline introduced her biological mother to her friends and her boyfriend. Chloe was the one who was most impressed and was about ready to run a complete background check on the woman, but Emmeline stopped her. Background checks could wait. She was already overwhelmed enough as it was.

"Hey, Em, what's up?" Chloe asked Emmeline as they walked through the halls.

"Trying to forget about the craziness in my life right now."

"Well, you're out of luck there. Did you hear what's been happening with Clark?"

"What now?"

"He was asleep for 36 hours straight. And it just happens to coincide with the new girl who just moved in next door."

"You think she's a meteor freak?"

"It's possible."

The two girls arrived at Clark's locker where he looked like he was about to collapse at any second.

"Hey," Emmeline smiled. "Hope things are going better for you than they are for me."

"I can only imagine," Clark answered. "Something weird is going on."

"What else is new?"

"I had a dream about Sara Conroy. Before I even met her."

"Clark Kent dreaming of the girl next door," Chloe laughed. "Isn't it nice to know some things never change?"

"Right now, I'm just trying to stay awake."

"Yeah, even Red Bull has its limits. Trust me, I've tested them."

"I think Sara is reaching out to me for help."

"Entering your dreams to communicate?"

"How else would I know these details of her life, like the lilacs?"

"Well, there is a theory that telepathic receptivity is increased during R.E.M. sleep," Chloe explained as they all walked into the Torch office. "It has to do with frontal lobe activity."

"My frontal lobe is acting as a beacon."

"I've never seen a case this dramatic. But we all know that your brain is wired a little differently than the rest of ours. Add the fact that the river where she crashed is a known source for our favorite green stuff, and you have the perfect Smallville cocktail for weirdness."

"You think the meteor rocks gave her this ability?"

"Well once she's in, she can keep you asleep. It certainly explains the day and a half snore-a-thon."

"Yeah, I didn't wake up until the Traveler appeared."

"What's the Traveler?" Emmeline asked.

"It's this figure in a red cape with a hood. I can't see its face, but it has this really creepy voice, and it always snatches up Sara before I can help her. And I think it's her uncle."

"Or a manifestation of fear that she has for her uncle," Chloe put in. Clark's brow furrowed a little in thought. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get all Freudian on you."

"No. Her uncle is all powerful in her life. Why wouldn't he be in her dreams?"

"You're not buying the altruism angle?"

"My faith in human kindness is not what it used to be. You up for a trip to the courthouse to see what public records say about Uncle Nicholas?"

"I have a deadline for the Daily Planet, and shockingly, a Wall of Weird story doesn't take precedence in their mind."

"No time for childish pursuits anymore."

"Hey, now that's not fair. You know that if I had a choice, I would definitely be down there pulling dusty records with you."

"Relax, you guys," Emmeline laughed. "I'll go with you, Clark. Pete's busy anyway, so I need to find something to do to kill time. I'll make sure to bring lots and lots of coffee."

* * *

Emmeline and Clark were up in the loft looking at all of the public records they had checked out, but both of them were losing stamina.

"I'm seeing black dots," Emmeline groaned as she looked up from the thousandth sheet of paper she had examined. "I never realized how boring these things are."

"Not all of them," Clark said. "Take a look at this." He showed Emmeline one of the documents he was looking at.

"Sara's parents had a lot of money stored away."

"When they died, Sara inherited everything. One guess who's in control of the money."

"Her uncle," Emmeline put together.

"As long as she stays in a coma, he controls the wealth."

"Wait a minute, do you think he's keeping her asleep so he can have all her money?"

"It might explain why Sara's so scared of him."

Clark rubbed his eyes drowsily.

"Clark, you look exhausted," Emmeline said.

"I'm afraid to close my eyes."

"I'll go grab you some more coffee."

Emmeline went back inside the house and filled up a large mug with more coffee for Clark. However, when she returned, Clark had fallen asleep. Not knowing how long he would be out this time, she left the coffee on the table and drove home.

* * *

"Hey, Em," Clark said as he stood on Emmeline's front porch. "Wanna come with me to Sara's house? Maybe we can get some answers."

"Sure. I'm always up for solving a mystery."

Emmeline shut the door and got into the passenger seat of Clark's truck.

"Wouldn't it have just been easier for you to walk over to Sara's?"

"At least now, I have a witness in case something goes wrong."

"Well, I'm hoping it doesn't come to that."

Clark pulled up to the house, and they both got out of the truck as Clark pulled out some flowers from the back.

They went up to the porch and knocked on the door. A man opened the door with a smile. "Clark. This is a pleasant surprise. And who are you?"

"I'm Emmeline, a friend of Clark's. He told me about Sara. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you."

"We thought we would bring Sara some fresh flowers," Clark said as he held up the lilacs.

"Come in."

The two of them entered the house and were directed to Sara's room. Emmeline looked at the poor girl lying unconscious in bed. What kind of person would want to keep someone so innocent asleep forever?

"This is real nice of you, Clark," Sara's uncle said as he put the lilacs in a vase.

"Would you mind if we sat with her for a while?" Clark asked.

"Not at all. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Anything with caffeine."

"I think I might have some soda. Emmeline?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Emmeline said with a polite smile.

Her uncle left to go to the kitchen.

"Em, go get back in the truck," Clark said firmly.

"What, why?"

"Just do it."

Not daring to question him when he was using that kind of tone, Emmeline quickly left the room and went back outside to Clark's truck.

Seconds later, he came running out and quickly hopped into the driver's seat.

"Got it," he said as he held up a bottle with blue liquid. "He has been drugging her."

"Where did you find this?"

"Medicine cabinet."

"I didn't see anything."

"Well, I told you to get out pretty fast. You didn't really get a good chance to look around."

"You weren't in there much longer than I was."

Clark didn't answer her. Emmeline looked over to find his eyes closed.

"Clark?" she said urgently. "Clark?! Clark, wake up! CLARK!"

Before Emmeline could do anything, the truck ran off the road, rammed into some wooden posts, and went flying into the air. Emmeline screamed as the truck flipped over and landed upside down. The truck then flipped over again before resting upside down again on the ground.

Emmeline groaned as she moved various parts of her body to see if anything had broken. By some miraculous stroke of luck, she couldn't feel any broken bones. She was pretty sure that her wrist was sprained and she ached everywhere, but considering the impact of the crash, she was thankful that was all it was.

"Martha!" she heard Jonathon yell. "Come quick!" Jonathon knelt down next to Emmeline's window. "Emmeline, are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she mustered out.

"Oh my goodness!" Martha cried. "Jonathon!"

"Martha, help me over here!" Jonathon ordered. "Emmeline, I'm going to undo the seatbelt, and Martha is going to hold you so that you don't fall, okay?"

Emmeline nodded. Jonathon squeezed in and undid Emmeline's seatbelt. Then he and Martha helped her down and pulled her out of the truck. As soon as she was out, Jonathon ran over to the other side and pulled Clark out.

"I'll call an ambulance," Lana said.

"No, Lana, it's okay," Emmeline said. "If you could just drive me to the hospital, I'll be all right."

"And Clark just hit his head, so he'll be fine," Jonathon put in.

"Well, where was he coming from?" Martha asked. "Lex's mansion is the other way."

"Oh, Clark, I told you not to go to the Conroy's," Jonathon groaned.

"He was worried about Sara," Lana said. "He kept seeing her in his dreams. This is my fault. I took him over there."

"Oh, sweetie, don't blame yourself," Martha told her. "Clark will be fine."

"What about Sara?"

"I'm worried about her too. Get Emmeline to Smallville Medical Center, and fast."

Lana helped Emmeline off the ground and got her to her car. Then she drove as fast as she could to the hospital.

The two girls got out of the car and rushed to the Emergency Room.

"I need help!" Lana called. One of the paramedics rushed over to them. "This is Emmeline. She got in a car accident."

"Okay, Emmeline, we're going to take you back for some x-rays, okay?" the paramedic said as he helped Emmeline onto a stretcher. "You're going to be fine."

"Lana," Emmeline called before she was wheeled away. Lana took her hand. "Her uncle. He's keeping her asleep."

Lana's eyes widened as Emmeline disappeared from view.

Emmeline spent the next couple of hours getting x-rayed and put into a hospital room since she was required to stay overnight for observation. Her sprained wrist was bandaged up and she got bandages over the cuts and some cream for the bruises.

"Emmeline?"

Emmeline looked up to find her parents running into the room.

"Baby, are you alright?" her mother asked frantically.

"I'm fine. The worst that happened is I sprained my wrist."

"What happened?"

"Clark and I were visiting his new neighbor, but he hasn't been getting enough sleep lately, and he fell asleep at the wheel. We crashed."

"Is _he_ okay?" her father asked her.

"He's fine. He just hit his head."

"It's a miracle neither of you broke anything."

* * *

Her parents soon left, and Emmeline sat up as she attempted to rub cream on her bruises. She groaned in pain as her sore muscles forbid her from reaching where she needed.

"May I help?"

Emmeline smiled at the sound of Pete's voice. He came around and gently kissed her.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm sore, but I'll survive."

Pete took the cream and began to rub it on the bruises on her shoulders. She grimaced as he rubbed an especially tender spot.

"Sorry," Pete said quickly.

"It's okay. It's a good kind of pain."

Pete smiled as he continued to massage her shoulders.

* * *

Clark knocked on the hospital door. "Em?"

"Hey, Clark," Emmeline smiled.

"I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am."

"It's fine. I just sprained my wrist, and I'm a little sore, but nothing's broken."

"This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't asked you to come with me to Sara's."

Emmeline smiled a little. "You can't blame yourself for every bad thing that happens in Smallville. How is Sara, by the way?"

"She woke up. They brought her in a few hours ago. I just went to go visit her."

"That's great news."

"Emmeline?"

Emmeline looked to the door to find Hannah. "Hey."

"I'll leave you two alone," Clark said.

Hannah eyed him down as he left her room. She slowly walked towards the bed.

"I heard about what happened. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine. I promise."

"You could've been killed, Emmeline."

"But I wasn't. I didn't even break anything."

"I…I don't think you should hang out with Clark anymore."

"Excuse me?" Emmeline said in disbelief. "You don't get to show up in my life out of nowhere and tell me how to live it."

"I am your mother."

"No. I have a mother. And you're not her. You have been around for a couple of days. You have missed all of the times Clark has been there for me. He saved me from a bug freak who wanted to mate with me. He has been there for me when everyone else has let me down. I may have gotten into a car accident because of him, but I also started living because of him."

Hannah left Emmeline's room without another word.

* * *

Emmeline was getting into her car at school when Hannah came up to her.

"Hey," she said to her daughter. "You were right. I don't have the authority to tell you what to do or give you advice. Yet. But I want to. I want to get to know you. If you'll let me."

Emmeline looked at Hannah and then smiled. "Want to go to the Talon?"

"I'd love to."


	49. Perry

Emmeline and Hannah were growing closer by the day, but Emmeline still wasn't ready to call her 'Mom'. They were only at the friend stage, not the parent stage. Hannah was more understanding about her friendship with Clark and finally forgave him for getting Emmeline into the car accident. Hannah loved Pete from the first moment she met him, and was glad that it was him her daughter was dating.

Things got a bit interesting in Smallville when a man named Perry White showed his face in town…and immediately started making things difficult for everyone. Especially Lana. He had waltzed into the Talon and demanded an interview with her about the meteor shower, completely insensitive to the fact that she had lost both of her parents that day.

When Emmeline and Chloe walked into the Torch office, they saw a man with Clark who Emmeline quickly assumed was none other than Perry White.

"Boy, I thought our stuff was off-the-wall," Perry said as he looked at the Wall of Weird. "This is incredible."

"It's also all true," Chloe told him.

Clark turned around to face the two girls. "Chloe, Em. Mr. White is interested in the meteor shower. I didn't think it would hurt if he had a look."

"I have nothing to hide."

"Well, good," Perry smiled, walking over to the two girls. "I think we've already borrowed two or three of your ideas for our show. Do you make it all up yourself, or do you pull in other writers?"

Chloe glanced at Clark incredulously. "Excuse me?"

Perry handed Chloe a business card with XStyles written on it. "Oh, just, uh, professional curiosity. It's not every day that I meet another junk journalist with a penchant for the bizarre."

"'XStyles'?"

"Yeah."

"I have a penchant for the truth, something your freaks and shrieks cable show gave up around episode two."

"Ooh."

"That's it. We're done," Clark said firmly as he began ushering Perry out of the room.

Chloe looked down at the business card and moved her thumb so she could see the guy's full name. "Wait, wait, wait, wait." The two of them turned back to look at her. "You're _the_ Perry White?"

Perry's smile disappeared a little as he looked at Clark. "It's okay, Clark. I'm gonna hoof it back to the motel. Uh, you young lovers patch things up, and then later on you can swing by and we'll pick up the tour, hmm?"

Clark shook his head as Perry left.

"Clark, do you have any idea who that was?" Chloe asked.

"Perry White," Emmeline answered. "From what I've heard so far from Lana, he's a jerk who doesn't care about anyone else's feelings."

"Well, uh, okay. He's this huge journalist who I used to aspire to be like. Well, was. As you can see…he kinda…lost himself."

"Let's see if we can use your magic computer skills to find out more about this guy."

* * *

Perry White was a drunk. He rambled to Sheriff Adams about how Clark's tractor had fallen from the sky whereas Clark insisted that it had been in the process of being stolen. No one believed Perry's story. Tractors falling from the sky? It was a bit far-fetched even for Smallville.

Emmeline and Chloe were working together in the Torch when Perry walked in.

"Wise decision coming inside," Chloe said dryly. "The weather service expects a light shower of threshing machines followed by a drizzle of combines."

"Guess I deserve that," Perry smirked. He once again walked over to examine the Wall of Weird.

Chloe hopped up from her desk and went over to him. "If you, uh, let me know what you're looking for, I'm sure I could help you find it."

"And why would you want to do that?"

"Because you were once the kind of reporter that I would like to be. Though, I'm—I'm curious how one goes from multiple Pulitzer nominations to walking the Bigfoot beat."

"You know the only thing that's worse than never landing that story of a lifetime?"

"What?"

"Having it and being afraid to write it."

"Perry 'The Pit Bull' White backing off a story? That's hard to believe."

"Well, Lionel Luthor can be remarkably persuasive."

Emmeline's head snapped up to him as Chloe froze for a second. Her mind flashed back to the time a couple weeks ago where Lionel had threatened Chloe. The mere thought of his sadistic tone sent shivers down her spine.

"Are you saying he had something to do with your career slide?" Chloe asked nervously.

"Let's just say that not everyone respects good investigative journalism, especially when it treads on the toes of the rich and vengeful." Perry looked at an article about the time a weird symbol had been burned onto the side of Clark's barn. "Isn't that the Kent farm?"

"Uh, good eye. The police chalked it up to hyperactive frat boys going crop circles on the barn. Why?"

"Call it professional interest. Your friend Clark intrigues me."

When Perry left the room, Emmeline nervously looked over at Chloe. "Okay, we don't need two people running around Smallville trying to get information on Clark. What's the big deal anyway? I mean, I know things seem a little…abnormal with him, but…is it really worth all this?"

"To some people…it is. I can see where they're coming from. They have the journalistic curiosity, and that curiosity is eating them alive. They won't be satisfied until they get an explanation."

The two of them left the Torch and booked it over to Clark's house. When they went up to the loft, they saw him talking with Pete and Jonathon.

"Hey, Clark," Chloe said urgently. "We thought we'd give you a heads-up. Our resident Ghostbuster is still on the job."

"Perry White?" Clark asked. "I thought he went back to Metropolis."

"Evidently he had a change of heart. And he seems to be especially interested in you, Clark."

"I…I can't imagine why."

"Well, just be careful around him, alright?"

"I will."

The two girls began to leave the barn when Pete came after them and gently grabbed Emmeline's arm.

"Hey," she smiled. "Are we still on for tonight?"

Pete groaned. "No, I'm so sorry. Something's come up with Clark, and I need to help him out tonight. I'm really sorry. I was looking forward to spending time with you."

"No, it's okay. Really. I can spend some more time with Hannah. She really wants to talk with me. Maybe I can find out a little bit more about…where I come from."

"I'm sorry I have to bail."

"It's really okay. Another time?"

"Of course."

Pete gently kissed her before Emmeline left the barn.

* * *

The next day, Emmeline was driving to do some work at the Torch when her phone rang.

"Hey, Lana, can I call you back? I'm driving."

"Em, it's Perry White!"

"What are you talking about?"

"He might jump off a ledge into Saunders Gorge. I called Clark, but I'm afraid he won't make it in time."

"Alright, I'm less than five minutes away, okay? I'll be right there."

Emmeline drove to Saunders Gorge as fast as she could and bolted out of the car. She looked over to see Perry standing on top of the railing overlooking the gorge.

"Mr. White!" she called urgently.

"Don't come any closer!" Perry yelled to her.

"Mr. White, you don't want to do this!"

"Relax, hon. I'm just trying to prove a point."

"Prove a point to who?"

"To everyone who ever stopped believing me."

Emmeline and Lana turned around at the sound of a car approaching. Clark and Pete quickly got out of the car.

"Lana, you okay?" Clark asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But…" She motioned over to where Perry was. "I was driving him to the bus stop, and he pretended to be sick. I pulled over, and he ran out to the viewpoint and got out on the ledge and said he would kill himself unless I called you." Clark started to walk forward. "Look, Clark, be careful. He's really drunk."

Perry turned and smiled at them. "Not unless iced tea packs a punch." Clark walked over to him. "I knew you'd never show for me, so I had to trick Lana into making the call."

"Mr. White, don't do this," Clark said calmly.

"See, the way I figure it, you're strong, you're shockproof, you're incredibly fast. Plus you're cursed with this hero complex."

"Yeah, why don't you come back down on the deck and we'll talk about that?"

"No. Not till I have my story."

"Wait, Mr. White? Look, you're wrong about me."

"I'm betting you'll save me, Clark."

"No, I can't save you!"

"Well, I guess we'll find out, huh?"

With that, Perry jumped from the ledge. Clark grabbed onto him, but ended up tumbling over the edge with him.

"Clark!" Emmeline and Lana screamed.

She, Lana, and Pete ran over to the ledge. They looked down and saw that Perry had tied a rope to his ankle while Clark clung onto his hands several feet down into the gorge.

"Okay, fun's over," Perry said nervously. "Time to unleash those incredible powers there, Clark."

"I don't have any powers!" Clark yelled. "Pete! The camping gear, there should be a rope!"

"Okay!" Pete called to him.

He ran back to his car and grabbed a rope out of his trunk. Lana and Emmeline noticed the rope around Perry's ankle starting to break.

"Pete, it's not gonna hold!" Lana cried. "Come on!"

The two girls met Pete halfway and grabbed the rope from him. Pete took the other end and attached it to the front end of his car. Lana tossed the other end over the railing.

"Grab the rope!" she yelled down to them.

Clark grabbed onto the rope and clung onto it for dear life. The rope around Perry's ankle snapped completely and he quickly grabbed onto Clark as he fell.

The two girls looked at Pete and motioned for him to start backing up. Pete slowly began backing his car up and Clark and Perry were slowly pulled back up to the railing.

"Just hang on, Clark!" Emmeline called. "You're almost there!"

"Good! Keep going!" Lana yelled to Pete. "Come on!"

Clark lost his grip on the rope and slipped down a few inches. "Clark!"

"I can't hang on much longer!" Clark yelled.

"Pete, get moving!" Lana called.

Emmeline turned to him. "Floor it!"

Pete pushed the gas harder, and Clark and Perry finally reached the railing. Lana helped Perry over while Emmeline helped Clark. Clark crashed onto the ground weakly, the sheer exertion of having to hold onto the rope so tightly taking its toll on him.

When everyone looked at his hands, they saw that they were ripped and bleeding as a result of severe rope burn.

* * *

Emmeline slowly walked up to the loft the next day. "Hey," she greeted Clark with a small smile.

"Hey, Em."

"How are your hands?"

"Uh, little sore, but they'll heal."

"It's weird. I've never seen you hurt like that before. I guess as much as it may seem like it, you're not invincible."

"How are things with your mom?"

"Hannah. She's not my mom. Not yet. Maybe one day, but for right now, she's just Hannah."

"Okay. How are things going with Hannah?"

"Not bad. It's just strange. She never talks about my biological father. I think it's still painful for her to think about him. I mean he left her after I was born. I just hoped that she could tell me a little something."

"I'm sure that with time, you'll get to know more about him."

"I hope so. Uh, I should get going. I'm meeting with Pete."

"Yeah, sorry I had to be the reason he canceled your date."

"It's okay. I got to spend some time with Hannah, and it was nice. I'm just still trying to get used to my biological mother being in my life."

"I'm glad you're getting along with her. And that she likes me now."

"You just didn't make a very good first impression. But she understands now why we're friends. I'm glad to see you're okay. You may not be invincible, but it's nice to know you're always there."


	50. Relic

**I've been looking forward to writing this chapter for weeks :)**

* * *

When Lana brought an old newspaper article to Clark, he couldn't believe his eyes. The article was all about how Lana's great-aunt had been shot years ago, and the police sketch of the supposed murderer looked exactly like Clark. But what was really shocking was the medallion around his neck. There was a Kryptonian symbol on it.

When he went down to the caves, he had put his hand to the cave wall where the same symbol was, and a hole opened up in the cave wall…and he received that same medallion along with several images that he couldn't process.

Since Emmeline was busy with Hannah, he and Pete were walking along the sidewalk as he tried to explain to his friend what had happened to him in the caves.

"The images I saw must've been from the past," he told him.

"Clark, you really need to lay off the late night television," Pete joked.

"I'm not kidding, Pete. I had all these flashes, but they went by so fast, I really couldn't make sense of them."

Clark put his hand on a nearby mailbox and suddenly, there was a bright flash.

* * *

 _A young man walked down the sidewalk in Smallville, suavely looking around him at the small town. He looked across the street at a woman in a green dress reading a magazine as she walked. Suddenly, an old man pulled out a gun and aimed it at her._

 _"_ _Give it over!" the old man ordered._

 _"_ _Get away from me!" the woman fired back._

 _The old man pushed her down to the ground, backing her up against the doors to the theater._

 _"_ _Give me the money! I know you've got it! Give it!"_

 _The man on the other side of the street sped over to the fight and grabbed the old man from behind before flinging him against a pole. He knelt down and helped the young woman up off the ground._

 _"_ _My hero," she smiled._

 _"_ _You don't strike me as someone who usually needs saving," the man said to her._

 _"_ _Thank you." The man picked up her magazine and handed it to her. "Thanks. I'm Louise."_

 _"_ _You can call me Joe."_

 _"_ _Well, Joe, you're the most excitement we've had all year."_

 _"_ _Louise?!"_

 _Another girl around Louise's age ran up to the young woman from behind Joe so he couldn't see her face._

 _"_ _Are you alright?!"_

 _"_ _I'm fine," Louise said with a small laugh. "I had someone watching out for me."_

 _The girl turned around and Joe felt his breath catch in his throat. She was beautiful. More than beautiful. She was the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen._

 _"_ _Thank you for helping my best friend," the girl said to him. "We need more people like you around here."_

 _The sheriff walked over to the three of them and shook Joe's hand. "Well, I guess we owe you our gratitude. Hi, I'm Sheriff Billy Tate. Some reflexes you got there."_

 _"_ _They kinda surprised me, too," Joe answered a bit nervously._

 _"_ _I haven't seen you around Smallville before."_

 _"_ _I'm just passing through on my way home."_

 _"_ _Lucky you," Louise smiled._

 _"_ _Forgive Louise," Sheriff Tate said. "She's got stars in her eyes. Both of these girls do really. Always have."_

 _"_ _There's nothing wrong with that," Joe said as he looked at both of the girls._

 _A car pulled up and Louise's husband quickly got out. "Louise? Everything all right?"_

 _"_ _You go on home, Louise," Sheriff Tate said. "I know how Dex hates to miss his bridge game. I'll drop by and get your statement."_

 _"_ _See you around," Louise said to Joe._

 _"_ _I'll come with you," the girl told her friend. "Keep you company."_

 _The two of them began to walk over to Dex. "Hey," Joe called to the girl. "I didn't catch your name."_

 _The girl gave him the most radiant smile he had ever seen before. "Emily."_

* * *

There was another flash and Clark looked up to find Pete staring at him.

"Clark, what's going on?" his friend asked concerned.

"It's like I was back in the 50s. I was standing right here where Joe was."

"Joe?"

"That's the name of the drifter. Pete, do you remember when I was in the cave and I got all those flashes?" He took the medallion out of his pocket. "I think this medallion downloaded me with all his memories. When I touch something of his it triggers one."

"Right."

"Louise was here too. The drifter, he saved her."

"Well, of course he did! Clark, back here in the 21st century, we call that a daydream."

"There's got to be a way to find out if what I saw really happened."

* * *

"Since when can you take police records out of City Hall?" Clark asked as he, Chloe, and Emmeline all walked down the halls.

"Since Em and I caught the clerk and his girlfriend playing cops and robbers while on the job," Chloe laughed.

Clark opened up the book Chloe had nabbed for him. "Well, the robbery should be around June 1961. That's when the movie was playing at the Talon."

"Okay, I don't mean to give you the third degree, but how do you know all of these—"

"Chloe, I told you it was just a hunch that the drifter was there."

"Yeah, I get that." The three of them entered the Torch office. "But 'It's the robbery outside the Talon with the Natalie Wood movie playing', that's a little more detailed than your average hunch."

"Well, as curator of the Wall of Weird, just go with me on this one."

"He's got a point," Emmeline put in. "Besides, now I'm curious."

Clark sat down at his desk. "There's some pages missing, all from the day of Louise's murder."

"Someone gets a D in subtlety," Chloe remarked.

"All right, here's the robbery."

"You see our heroic drifter anywhere?"

"No, but look at the name of the robber."

"Lachlan Luthor," Chloe read. "That's—that's Lex's grandpa." Clark looked up at her suspiciously. "Oh, come on, I had a 3 megabyte file on Lex. I know his favorite cereal. Maybe he knows something."

"Well, you're gonna have to find out. I gotta meet Lana. Nell found some of Louise's things in the attic."

"Wait, Clark, this is where I'm gonna have to bail. The last time I researched the Luthors, Lex almost got killed."

"Please. You're gonna have to deal with him sooner or later."

Clark left the office to go see Lana as Chloe sighed heavily.

"Hey, don't worry," Emmeline said to her friend. "I'll come with you for moral support."

The two girls headed over to Lex's mansion and Chloe quickly explained the situation to him.

"I always assumed my father's knack for taking people's money was inherited, but I hardly think petty crime runs in the family," Lex said smoothly.

"Well, Smallville wasn't exactly teeming with Lachlan Luthors," Chloe responded. "Your grandfather has to be the one who was arrested."

"Chloe, no one in my family set foot in this town until my father bought the cream corn factory." Emmeline really wanted to insert a comment about how that act ruined her boyfriend's family, but he intimidated her too much for her to speak. "Isn't an age-old robbery a little off your usual teen beat?"

"Well, this one's pro bono. Lana's really worried about her great-uncle."

"Something tells me the both of you aren't here because of Lana."

"Anyway, we think Lachlan met the drifter, and we were just hoping that—"

"What? That my family sat around at Thanksgiving sharing old crime stories?"

"Your family isn't exactly a Norman Rockwell painting. Look, Lex, we're just trying to find what we can."

"I wish I could help you, girls, but I'm afraid you've met a dead end."

* * *

Clark went up to the loft and found Lana waiting for him.

"Hey," Lana smiled.

"Hi, Lana. Look, I'm really sorry about being so defensive this morning."

"You don't have to apologize. I kinda dumped a lot on you all at once."

"I guess it's just when you're adopted, you dream about where you came from and what your birth parents were like. The biggest nightmare is that they were criminals."

"With all the strange surprises I've had in my family, I know it's not easy." She gestured over to a box lying on a small table. "There are only a few of Louise's things. But I think we'll be able to find something."

The two of them sat on the couch and began pulling out various photos and trinkets from the box. Lana smiled as she pulled out a piece of paper.

"It's a love letter. Dexter must have written this." Her eyes widened a little as she read over its contents. "Wow. Who knew he could be so, um…"

"Passionate?"

She looked at the bottom and saw a cursive letter that looked like a J. "Only an initial?"

She put the letter away again and then pulled out a locket. When she opened it, there was a picture of Louise and the girl Clark had seen from his vision.

"This was a present from her to her best friend," Lana said. "After she died, it must've been too painful so she put it in here with the rest of her things."

Clark took the necklace and then there was a flash.

* * *

 _Joe gently rubbed his hands against Emily's shoulders as he pressed a kiss to her neck, feeling the metal of the chain around her neck. Emily turned around and smiled at him broadly then lightly kissed him._

 _"_ _What if we get caught?" Joe asked her._

 _"_ _Dex is out and Louise is with him. Besides, it's not like I'm married."_

 _The two of them began to kiss with more passion._

 _"_ _I've never felt this way about anyone," Joe whispered. "All I know is I want to be with you."_

 _Emily smiled again as they resumed kissing passionately. Joe lightly pressed her against a wooden beam and pressed his lips to her neck as he undid the buttons on her shirt. She shrugged it off, tossing it aside and leaving her white slip on underneath. Then as they kissed each other, Joe's shirt was also unbuttoned and came off as well. Joe ran his hands through Emily's long brown hair and his fingers grazed across her soft cheeks._

 _Joe laid her down on a blanket in the hay as he continued to kiss her._

 _"_ _This is crazy," Emily breathed in between kisses._

 _"_ _I agree."_

 _"_ _We've only known each other for a couple weeks."_

 _"_ _Does it matter?"_

 _Emily smiled up at him and put her hand to his cheek. "No."_

 _Joe kissed her with more vigor as her hands gently slid across his toned back and chest._

* * *

There was a flash, and Clark dropped the necklace.

"Clark?" Lana asked quickly.

Clark stood up from the couch. "Lana, Louise's best friend, Emily? She and the drifter were in love."

Lana looked up at him in confusion, wondering how he possibly knew her best friend's name or the fact that she was in love with the drifter.

* * *

The next day, Clark and Lana traveled to the old barn that Dexter used to own before he went to prison.

"This is the barn where Louise was shot," Clark said as they walked in.

"Clark, it's been over 40 years," Lana told him. "What do you expect to find here?"

Clark went around the barn, touching various items in the hopes of triggering another vision. After touching several items with no luck, he looked up to find a car covered by a tarp. He slowly went over to it and removed the tarp.

He touched the car and there was a bright flash.

* * *

 _Joe and Emily leaned against the car kissing each other. It was nighttime and from the fact that they were wearing the same clothes, it was the same day as the previous vision._

 _Joe pulled away from Emily. "I have to leave tonight."_

 _Emily's smile faded. "You can't. Not now."_

 _"_ _I have to."_

 _"_ _Why?"_

 _"_ _It's…complicated."_

 _"_ _We could run away together. See the world."_

 _"_ _I have to return to my home."_

 _"_ _Couldn't I go with you?"_

 _"_ _Where I'm from, we wouldn't be accepted."_

 _"_ _Then don't go home. We can go somewhere they'll never find us. We can be together forever."_

 _"_ _You don't understand, Emily. This wasn't supposed to happen."_

 _"_ _You mean you wish you had never met me?"_

 _"_ _No! You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. But it's my destiny, and I can't change it. Emily, as much as I want this, I can't have it. My father told me that someday I'd understand…that my actions have consequences. I guess this is what he meant."_

 _"_ _Joe, I love you. And I can't just let you go now."_

 _"_ _I love you too."_

 _He gently kissed her as he pulled her close to him._

 _"_ _Emily?"_

 _The two of them quickly looked over to the entrance of the barn to find Louise standing there._

 _"_ _Louise…" Emily said slowly. "Please…I can explain."_

 _Louise gave her a small smile. "No need. I know."_

 _"_ _You do?"_

 _"_ _You're my best friend. Of course I do." She began to walk over to her. "You have what I've always wanted. Don't lose it now. Go with him." Louise looked over at Joe. "You're lucky to have her. Take her with you."_

 _Joe was about to say something more, but the same man who had tried to rob Louise walked into the barn and aimed a gun at him. He quickly pushed the two girls out of the way just as the man fired several bullets directly at Joe._

 _"_ _Joe!" Emily screamed._

 _When the man saw that the bullets made no impact, he ran out of the barn as fast as he could. Emily ran up to him and looked at his chest. Not a single mark. She looked at him in disbelief._

 _"_ _Emily…"_

 _Emily looked at Louise and saw a steady stream of red blood tainting her white blouse where a bullet had hit her._

 _"_ _No, no, no, no, no, no! No!"_

 _Emily and Joe ran over to the young woman and caught her as she sank down to the ground._

 _"_ _Louise," Emily cried. "Don't go."_

 _"_ _I'll never go."_

 _Louise closed her eyes and her body stilled. Tears streamed down Emily's face as she watched the life leave her best friend. Joe gently squeezed her shoulders, knowing there were no words he could say to comfort her._

 _"_ _Louise?!" Dex's voice called out._

 _"_ _Dex is coming," Emily said urgently._

 _"_ _We have to go," Joe told her._

 _"_ _No, I can't just leave her here."_

 _"_ _You can't be seen with the body and the gun, especially not with me. Come on!"_

 _Reluctantly, Emily got up and ran out of the barn with Joe. They ran quite a distance before Emily stopped him._

 _"_ _I have to stay," she said quietly._

 _"_ _No. You can come with me. We'll make it work. I know we can."_

 _"_ _I want to. But with Louise dead, things have changed. If I go with you, they'll never stop looking for us. I'll only put you in danger."_

 _"_ _No. Emily…"_

 _"_ _I'm so sorry, Joe." She gently kissed him and hugged him tightly. "Go see the world for me. All of them. I love you." She kissed him again and then Joe took off._

 _Emily's heart broke in half as she watched the man she loved disappear from her life forever._

* * *

Clark stared at Lana as he touched her cheek with trembling hands. Everything had felt so real…

"Clark?" she said softly.

Clark took a step back and looked at her with wide eyes. "I know who killed her."

Lana's eyes widened. First he claimed that the drifter was in love with her great-aunt's best friend and now this?

Clark and Lana rushed off to school, and reported his findings to Chloe and Emmeline.

"I don't mean to rain on your parade, Clark, but Lachlan Luthor was in the jail at the time of the murder," Chloe explained.

"I know it was him," Clark said firmly.

"How?" Lana asked. "You can't expect us to keep following these weird hunches without telling us what's going on."

Clark stopped at the Torch office entrance. "It's crazy."

"You passed crazy about four random clues ago," Chloe said.

Clark turned to face them. "Ever since I read that newspaper article, I've been having memories from 1961."

The three girls all looked at each other with confusion. Clark shrugged his shoulders and entered the office.

"What?" Lana exclaimed as they followed him.

"It's like some weird déjà vu thing."

"Well, could it be like reincarnation?" Chloe posed. "You know, like past lives?"

"Chloe," Lana said skeptically.

"Or, uh, genetic memory. Science has theorized that we store our ancestors' memories in our DNA. Anyway…" Chloe went over to her computer and pulled up one of her emails. "Well, wherever your hunches are coming from, they're eerily accurate. Look at this. I asked the Ledger to email me the newspaper's police blotter from the day that was missing in the logbook."

Clark looked at the document on the screen. "Lachlan was released from jail the morning Louise was murdered."

"He only spent a few nights in jail for armed robbery?" Lana asked in disbelief.

Chloe went over to her file cabinet and pulled out one of the files. "Yeah, and look at the name of the deputy who released him."

"Billy Tate," Clark confirmed.

"More affectionately known now as our honorable Mayor William Tate."

Clark started to leave the office, but Emmeline chased after him. "Hey, Clark!" Clark turned around to face her. "These memories or visions or whatever that you've been having…what are you seeing?"

"Why?"

"Because you've been looking at me strange ever since they supposedly started."

"Just…ask your mom to tell you more about your grandmother."

* * *

Clark and Lana went to the mayor's office after school so Clark could see if he could get any more answers from the man.

Mayor Tate showed them a picture from Louise's wedding. "Dex and Louise were my best friends. Arresting him was the hardest thing I ever had to do. The whole thing just destroyed her friend, Emily." Mayor Tate looked over at Lana with a small smile. "You bear a striking resemblance to your great-aunt. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Mayor Tate, can you remember booking someone named Lachlan Luthor?" Clark asked. "He was released the same day Louise was killed."

"It's hard to keep track of all the arrests that I've made."

"We think your friend Dexter is innocent," Lana said bluntly.

Mayor Tate chuckled dryly. "Trust me, of all people, I wanted to believe that more than anyone. But finally I had to admit there was no drifter. He made up the story to cover his own guilt."

Clark looked at one of the shelves in the office. When he looked at a certificate, his eyes widened. The initial on the love letter hadn't been a J at all. It was a T. As in Tate.

"Careful with that, young man," Mayor Tate said to Clark.

He put his hand on Clark's shoulder which was followed by another flash.

* * *

 _Billy Tate approached a car parked next to a cornfield and touched the shoulder of the man inside. "Hey, you two lovebirds." His expression hardened when he saw Joe with Emily._

 _"_ _Billy, it's okay," Emily said quickly. "He's just—"_

 _"_ _Sure. Okay, big shot, out of the car."_

 _Joe sighed as he hopped out of the car. "I don't know what business this is of yours, but—"_

 _Billy grabbed Joe by the shirt. "I think you've overstayed your welcome. You better move along before you cause any more trouble."_

 _Emily quickly got of the car and grabbed Billy's arm. "Billy, stop it. He's been a perfect gentleman to me. Just back off."_

 _"_ _Suit yourself, Emily."_

 _Billy got into his police car and drove off. Emily sighed as she watched him go._

 _"_ _It's Brian," she said softly._

 _"_ _Who's Brian?" Joe asked._

 _"_ _We're not even engaged, but we may as well be married. Our parents have been planning the wedding ever since I can remember. He's a nice guy, I just…don't love him. Louise and I always wanted to get out of Smallville together someday. Unfortunately, our fathers didn't see it that way. So she married Dex, and I'm expected to marry Brian."_

 _"_ _I think our fathers would get along. See, I'm not what you'd call a model son. My father sent me here as sort of a lesson. I didn't want to come here. Now I'd give anything to stay." Emily smiled at him. "But I can't."_

 _Emily walked over to him. "Yes, you can. You control your own future. If you want to stay, stay. And if you really can't stay, then take me with you so I can get out of here like I've always wanted to."_

 _"_ _I don't think you understand. When I said I wasn't from here, I wasn't talking about Smallville."_

 _"_ _What do you mean?"_

 _"_ _Where I'm from we have colors that you've never seen. Our moons are so close they fill up half the sky. We have sunsets that last for hours."_

 _Emily gasped a little. "Really?" She looked up at the stars above her. "For years, I've looked up at the stars and wondered if there's anybody like us out there. Other worlds that we can only imagine. But…not everyone really appreciates my daydreams. They constantly tell me to get my head out of the clouds and back on Earth where it belongs. Dex and Louise call it my curse."_

 _Joe slowly walked over to her. "No, Emily. That's a gift."_

 _He gently lifted her up into his arms. Emily smiled at him as he held her close. Then she realized that she felt…weightless. When she looked down, neither of them were on the ground any longer._

 _Emily instinctively grabbed onto Joe a little tighter, but she couldn't help but smile. "So it's true. You're from another world."_

 _She smiled broadly as she kissed him fifteen feet in the air._

* * *

Clark and Lana went to Sheriff Adams with their claim that Mayor Tate striked up a deal with Lachlan Luthor to kill the drifter and then pin the whole thing on Dex so that Mayor Tate could have Louise. They guessed that because Emily was in love with the drifter, no one allowed her to testify.

Unfortunately, Sheriff Adams didn't take that very well.

"Clark," Martha said as he stepped inside the house. "Have you had any more of the visions?"

"No," Clark said uneasily.

Jonathon slowly went over to his son. "Listen, son, I'm, uh, I'm sorry I doubted you. If you'd like, we can go over to McCallum's barn, see if you missed anything."

Clark smiled and then looked over Jonathon's shoulder.

"What is it?" Martha asked.

"That's grandpa's gun," Clark answered. "I saw it in the cave when I had my first vision."

Jonathon pulled the gun off the wall and held it out for Clark. Clark touched it and there was another flash.

* * *

 _Joe was leaning over a barrel when he was hit with the butt of a rifle. He quickly knocked the man to the ground before taking the rifle and pointing it at its owner._

 _"_ _I don't want any trouble," he told the man. "I'm just cutting through your field."_

 _"_ _Easy there, son," the man said firmly. "You already got one murder on your hands if you're the one the whole town's looking for."_

 _"_ _I didn't do it." He tossed the rifle back to the man. "I'm not a killer. I loved her best friend. I'd never hurt either of them. You got—you gotta trust me."_

 _The man slowly stood up to his feet. "I'm Hiram. Hiram Kent."_

 _He held his hand out to shake and Joe took it._

* * *

"What is it?" Jonathon asked his son as he took his hand off the gun.

"The drifter was here," Clark told him. "He was here on the farm with Grandpa Kent."

Martha and Jonathon exchanged a surprised look. Jonathon knew what he had to do. He led Clark up to the loft and they pulled out an old trunk.

"I haven't opened this…since the day my father passed away," Jonathon said sadly.

"Maybe something in here will trigger another memory," Martha told Clark.

Jonathon took out a belt with a large buckle. "Clark, your grandfather wore this old thing every single day of his life." Clark smiled a little as he took the belt from him. "It was his favorite belt."

"I wish you could've met him. Do recognize anything from your visions?"

Clark looked at a brown leather jacket and gently picked it up which was followed by a flash.

* * *

 _Hiram's wife put a denim jacket on Joe's shoulders as he and Hiram prepared to leave._

 _"_ _At least you won't stand out as much if they stop you," she told him._

 _"_ _I know all the back roads," Hiram stated. "We'll take them."_

 _"_ _I appreciate your help, but I'll find my way on my own," Joe said._

 _"_ _I am not sending you out alone. Are you sure these friends of yours are gonna show up?"_

 _"_ _They'll be there." He stepped past him and began to leave the house._

 _"_ _You're welcome to stay and try to clear this thing up."_

 _Joe thought back to what Emily had told him. She was right. It was too dangerous for them. "I've got no reason to stay anymore."_

 _Hiram's wife looked at him. "Be careful."_

 _Hiram placed his hand on her stomach. "Bye, Gene."_

 _"_ _His name is Jonathan."_

 _Hiram smiled up at Joe. "We're still deciding." He kissed his wife on the cheek. "Come on, let's go."_

 _"_ _Thank you," Joe said to his wife._

* * *

"Grandpa helped him escape," Clark told his parents.

Jonathon stood up and looked at him. "Now, look, I-I'd like to believe you, Clark but—"

"He wanted to name you Gene."

"…After Gene Autry. We had all of his old records, but…Mom finally won out."

"Hiram was a pretty good judge of character, Jonathan," Martha said to her husband. "I don't think he would've helped a guilty man."

"Well, I don't think that an old bomber jacket's gonna prove anything."

Clark smiled knowingly. "I'm not too sure about that."

* * *

Using the jacket, the medallion, and some hair gel, Clark dressed up as the drifter and paid a visit to Mayor Tate. The mayor was so freaked out by the sight of a supposed dead man that he confessed to conspiring to kill the drifter.

Now that justice was served, Clark and Jonathon headed down to the caves again.

"What is it, Clark?" Jonathon asked. "What are we doing here?"

Clark looked at the medallion in his hand. "I'm not sure."

He touched the symbol on the wall and was met with another flash.

* * *

 _Joe and Hiram were in the caves as Joe looked at his medallion._

 _"_ _What are you doing with that thing?" Hiram asked._

 _Joe turned to face him. "I was supposed to return it to my father, but there's too many bad memories attached. Thank you, Hiram." He shook the older man's hand._

 _"_ _I can usually tell an honest man when I see one. I'm sorry you ran into trouble here. There's plenty of good folks in Smallville."_

 _"_ _I'll remember that. Congratulations on the baby. He's lucky to have you as parents."_

 _"_ _If there's anything you ever need, you know where to find me."_

 _"_ _Just…if you ever see Emily, tell her I love her. And that I'm sorry."_

 _Hiram nodded. "Will do."_

 _He left the caves and Joe turned back to the cave wall. He held up an octagonal disc towards the cave. The symbol on his medallion appeared and opened up to show a hole. Joe stuck the medallion inside the hole._

 _"_ _I love you, Emily…"_

* * *

"Clark, what did you see?" Jonathon asked.

"He buried this here because he didn't want his father to have it. It acts as some sort of journal. I think Jor-El was sent here as some kind of rite of passage. Grandpa Kent was down here too. He told Joe that if there was anything he needed…"

Jonathon took a step towards him. "What is it, Clark?"

"I don't think you and Mom found me by accident. I think you were chosen."

* * *

"Hi, Emmeline," Hannah greeted as the girl sat across from her at the Talon. "How are you doing?"

"Uh, I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Can you tell me about my grandmother?"

Hannah paused for a while before giving her daughter a sad smile. "She was a free spirit, that's for sure. She grew up here, but she always wanted to get out of Smallville. When you were born, we all decided to leave the city. It was too painful for us. She died a few years later."

"Were there any…interesting stories about her?"

Hannah smiled fondly. "You know, there was one that she told me. She loved your grandfather, but he wasn't her first love. When she was young, a drifter by the name of Joe came through Smallville…"


	51. Magnetic

The fair was in town and Chloe, Lana, and Emmeline decided to have some fun with just the three of them. Heaven knows that they desperately needed it after the last few weeks they had had.

Lana picked up a snow globe and frowned as she saw what was inside: a house and a water tower but instead of snow floating around, it was green fragments representing the meteor shower.

"How tasteless is this?" she asked. "I think they even used real meteor rock."

"The American version of closure," Chloe said. "You can only get over your grief when you figure out how to merchandise your tragedy." She looked over at one of the vendors. "Ooh! Cotton candy." The three of them walked over to the man selling the carnival food. "Hi. One cotton candy, please."

"Sometimes I think it'd be nice to get away from all this. Maybe Clark was right, just leave it all behind."

Chloe smirked as she and Emmeline began taking pieces of cotton candy off the stick. "And we almost went through an entire day without mentioning our favorite farm boy."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to throw a wet towel over our girls' day out."

"It's okay. I just feel I should take this moment to state something very obvious. Clark not dating you was his loss, not yours. Okay?"

Lana smiled. "Okay."

"Lana Lang! Hey!"

The three girls looked over at the booth where they had just been standing to see one of their fellow classmates, Seth, working the stand.

"Lana Lang, you want to show off your arm?" he asked with a small smile. "Amaze and astound your friends?"

"Sure, why not?" Lana answered as they all walked back to the booth.

"I'll let you in on a little secret, too," Seth said quietly to them. "The game's rigged. Magnets. Just get it close. I'll slip you a prize."

"Won't you get in trouble for that?"

"Oh no, it's the, uh, last day of the fair, you know? What are they gonna do?"

Seth walked away to speak to another customer. Chloe and Emmeline sat down on the counter and faced Lana.

"I rest my case," Chloe smiled.

"Seth is my lab partner," Lana said firmly.

"Yeah, and he's also had a crush on you for forever."

"Man, if I had a dollar for every person who's interested in you…" Emmeline said with a laugh.

"Believe me, it is not all it's cracked up to be," Lana replied.

"Isn't he the one that used to spell your name out with spaghetti?" Chloe asked.

Lana laughed. "Yeah, that was in sixth grade. And now he's into, like, cars, comics, and Game Cubes. What exactly do we have in common?"

"I don't know." Chloe glanced back over at Seth. "He's cute, though. Why not? Expand your horizons. Go for it."

"All right."

Chloe and Emmeline got up off the counter as Lana picked up one of the balls. She threw it towards one of the floating balls but missed entirely. She laughed as she picked up another one.

"Aim, aim," Chloe told her.

"I am aiming!" She tried again, but it was no use. She missed the floating ball again. She held her hands up in defeat. "I give up."

Seth smiled a little. "Here." He went over to the shelf and handed her the 'tasteless' snow globe. "For a fine effort."

He touched her hand in a clearly flirtatious move.

"Oh, Seth, I…"

"You don't like it?"

A very large and well-built man who looked like a stereotypical motorcyclist came over to them. "I'll take it."

"Uh, I'm-I'm sorry, sir, but you have to win first," Seth told the man.

"Oh, yeah? Like her?"

"Um, I-I think you should…should leave."

The man stepped up onto the counter and hopped into the booth. "Yeah? I'd like to see you make me."

Lana handed him the snow globe. "Here, just take it and leave him alone."

The man took the snow globe and turned back to face Seth. "You gonna let your chick do your fighting for you? Come on, punk. What you got?"

Emmeline saw that look in his eye. Every guy had it when being challenged. Seth angrily pushed the man into the shelf of prizes before quickly hopping out of the booth and running into the crowd.

"I'm gonna tear you apart!" the man growled as he ran after Seth.

"Get security!" Lana ordered to the other two girls.

Chloe and Emmeline ran off to grab someone before the man killed Seth.

It just wasn't possible for them to have a normal girls' day out. Not in Smallville.

* * *

Pete walked up behind Emmeline and kissed her on the cheek. "Happy birthday," he smiled as he handed her a small box.

Emmeline sighed with a smile. "I thought we agreed no presents. Besides, my birthday isn't for two more days."

"Cut me some slack. This is the first time I ever get to celebrate my girlfriend's birthday."

Emmeline opened the box and looked at a gorgeous necklace. A multi-colored heart sat on the end of the chain surrounded by silver designs.

"It's beautiful," she told him. She took it out of the box and handed it to him as she pulled her hair to the side. "Would you?"

Pete smiled as he secured the necklace around her neck. Emmeline looked down as she fingered the heart.

"I love it. Thank you so much."

She lightly kissed him before she headed to the Torch office.

"Clark is late. Again," Chloe groaned. "I've set the latest issue on your desk for you to proofread."

"Great. Hey, look what Pete gave me." She showed her her new necklace.

"Wow, that's so pretty!"

"I know."

"So how come he can give you something, but I can't?"

"I told him not to get me anything. He didn't listen. Hey, you gave me a day at the fair."

"Yeah, and it got cut short because some psycho nearly killed another Lana-lover. Doesn't count."

"I mean, we had fun up until then."

Emmeline sat down at her desk and began to proofread the articles Chloe had set out for her.

Soon, they heard footsteps walking into the Torch office. "Finally," Chloe said. "I didn't think you were gonna show. Not that Clark Kent ever operates on the same speed as the rest of the world."

"Interesting observation, Chloe."

The two girls spun around at the sound of Lex's voice.

"Hey, Lex. Uh, Clark's not here obviously."

"Actually I was looking for you." He looked over at Emmeline. "Could you give us a couple moments?"

Emmeline was about to leave (with the full intention of eavesdropping outside the door again), but Chloe held her hand out. "Uh, I'd like her to stay if it's all the same to you."

Lex smirked a little. "It's come to my attention that you've been checking into my father. I saw your name on the Metropolis County Records log."

"Oh, yeah that. Um, I'm just writing a story on him for the Torch."

"Oh, really? A story that involves obscure childhood medical records?"

"Just trying to be thorough."

"The mark of a good reporter. And you are a good reporter, Chloe. So good, apparently, that my father pulled strings to make you the youngest columnist in the history of the Daily Planet."

"What do you want, Lex?"

"I'm just curious. I'm wondering why a high school reporter is digging so deeply into my father's past. Maybe I'll just ask him about it at dinner tonight."

Lex started to leave, but Chloe just called after him, "Go ahead. Since the only way you could've found out about those records is if you looked into them yourself."

"At least I'm prepared for what I might find. I'm not so sure you realize what you've gotten yourself into."

Chloe turned to Emmeline as he left the room. "He's right though."

"You're desperate," Emmeline told her. "And I don't blame you after your last encounter with Lionel."

"But we've seen how powerful he is. And Lex knows what he's capable of better than anything." She held her head in her hands. "Oh, Emmeline…what have I done?"

* * *

The next day, Clark, Chloe, and Emmeline snuck into the hospital Medical Records room to go check on Seth Nelson. According to Clark, Seth had been able to do some weird things ever since he got smashed on the head with a snow globe. He had become a real-life Magneto.

"So you think that the meteor flakes from the snow globe plus the MRI equals magnet boy?" Chloe asked Clark.

"Mm-hmm."

"Okay, well, assuming we can prove that Seth can manipulate metal with his mind, what does that have to do with Lana's sudden Seth infatuation?"

"Her attraction to him has something to do with the accident."

"Or Lana could just think he's really hot."

"Chloe, he's cute, but he's not that cute," Emmeline put in.

Chloe laughed quietly. "Seriously, though, I mean, I know you don't want to admit it, but it's possible that Lana just really likes him."

"Chloe, they have nothing in common—"

"Shh," she quickly shushed him. "What are you doing?"

"He's always been around, but they barely know each other." He opened a drawer labeled 'Patient Files L-N'.

"Well, except for the past two years, you could be describing yourself."

"I found it," Clark said, looking at her pointedly. He pulled out Seth's file and began flipping through it. "Look at this. The electromagnetic activity in Seth's nervous system is higher after the MRI."

"Well, that explains the walking magnet theory. Why didn't the doctors flag it?"

"According to this, they chalked it up to an accident. They're gonna keep an eye on him for a few weeks."

"Well, uh, okay. Let's head back to the Torch so we can check up on the effects of electromagnetism on the body."

"Okay."

Clark put Seth's file back in the drawer just as a doctor opened up the door. Emmeline ducked behind the file cabinet before the doctor saw her. Chloe slammed Clark against another cabinet and firmly began kissing him passionately, making sure to rub her hands across his face. She pulled Clark's arms around her waist.

"What's going on?" the doctor asked. "What are you two doing in here?"

Chloe pulled away and gave the doctor a coy smile. "Nothing. Uh, sorry, we were just taking a break from candy-striping."

"This is a hospital, young lady. Volunteering is about helping patients, not about make-out sessions in the file room, okay?"

"Okay." Chloe looked at Clark as the doctor left. "A good reporter always thinks on her feet."

As Emmeline passed a stunned Clark on the way out, she couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

"Happy birthday," Hannah said as she came up to Emmeline. "Doing anything special?"

"No, I don't really do birthdays."

Hannah looked away guiltily, knowing that a good chunk of that was because that was the day she had been given up.

"Some people are coming over tomorrow though to spend some time with me. You're welcome to join them."

"Why tomorrow? Why not tonight?"

"It's tomorrow, okay? Stop by if you can."

* * *

Emmeline's birthday started out with her visiting Lana in a holding cell.

"Happy birthday, huh?" Lana said awkwardly.

"Lana, what happened? This isn't like you."

"I know. I know that Clark convinced you and Chloe that Seth has some kind of hold on me."

"We'll get you out of here, okay? Just stay away from Seth for now until we figure out what to do about him."

"Thanks, Em."

Things took a turn for the worse when Seth broke Lana out of jail. Apparently when Emmeline had gone to visit her, she hadn't changed at all. Seth still had a hold on her.

Emmeline thought about where they would've run to. Seth worked at the fair so he would know all the tricks and tips of the place. And the fair was leaving soon which would make it a perfect place to stow away.

She drove the fairgrounds and saw Lana waiting outside for Seth.

"Lana!" she called.

Lana frowned as she saw Emmeline approaching. "Whatever you're thinking, don't. I'm going with Seth whether you want me to or not."

"Lana, think about it. You don't even like him. Two days ago, he was just your lab partner. He's still using his powers on you."

"How would you know? Do you know what it's like to be really in love? Of course not. You may be dating Pete now, but you've never actually been in love. How could you with you being so quiet all the time?"

Emmeline closed her eyes, and reminded herself that it wasn't really Lana who was saying these things. "You don't want to be with him."

"I don't want to be with anyone but him. So stay out of this."

"I'm sorry, Lana, but I can't let you do this. I'm taking you to the sheriff's station one way or another."

"Take your best shot."

Lana delivered a spin-kick, but Emmeline quickly dodged it. Then she threw two punches, but she also dodged those.

"Lana, I really don't want to hurt you!"

"You couldn't hurt me even if you tried! You're too weak!"

"We took classes together, remember? That means that everything you know, I know too."

The two girls delivered punches and kicks to each other, each trying to gain the upper hand for a different goal.

Seeing that she was losing the fight, Lana pushed Emmeline down and took off in a sprint in the other direction. Emmeline got up off the ground and went around the other way in order to cut her off.

She ran around one of the tents just in time to tackle Lana to the ground. Breathing heavily, she called 911 on her cell phone.

"Happy birthday to me," she mumbled to herself.

* * *

Emmeline walked into the hospital and saw Lana mopping the floor wearing a gray jumpsuit with the words 'Community Service' on the back.

"Anyone ever tell you jumpsuits aren't your thing?" she asked with a smirk.

Lana turned and gave her an apologetic smile. "Em, I am so sorry for ruining your birthday."

"Actually…it was the best birthday I've ever had."

"Really? Why?"

"Well, you know me. I don't like being the center of attention. So everything happening with you took the focus off me. Not to mention it was kinda fun kicking your butt."

Lana laughed. "That was only because of the meteors. On a normal day, I could totally take you."

"Okay, well, someday soon, we are putting that to the test!"

"Look, Em…I wanted to apologize for the things I said to you."

"You were under the influence of a meteor freak. It's okay."

"No, it's not okay."

"Lana, you are one of my closest friends. And I know that if Seth didn't have that hold on you, you never would've said any of that. We're all getting together tonight at my house, so once you're done paying your debt to society, why don't you stop on by?"

"Really?"

"Of course."

* * *

That night at Emmeline's house, everyone gathered around as her mother and father brought out a cake and placed it in front of her.

"Okay, make a wish," her mother smiled.

Emmeline smiled broadly as she looked around at her parents, her friends, and her boyfriend smiling at her. "I have everything I ever wanted right here with me."

Chloe laughed. "Fine, but you still have to blow out the candles."

Emmeline obliged her best friend's request and blew out the candles on her cake. Everyone cheered for her as Pete kissed her.

Outside on the front porch, Hannah paused at the doorway having heard her daughter's words. She looked through the window as she kissed her boyfriend and smiled at the people around her.

Sadly, she turned and walked away from the house.


	52. Shattered

Lex had had a lot of run-ins with near-death experiences, but it was still concerning when Clark came to Chloe and Emmeline with another one. Lex claimed that several people had shot at him the previous night, but when Clark went to go inspect, he found nothing but a shard of glass.

"Well, is Lex all right?" Chloe asked quickly.

"He's freaked out," Clark answered. "Pretty shaken up, but he's alive. How'd you guys get mixed up in this?"

"Uh, I was just researching Lionel Luthor for a story. I found out that he ran with a pretty tough crowd as a kid."

"Morgan Edge?"

"Yeah. I thought Lex would be interested, but I had no idea he would develop this theory that Edge and Lionel murdered his grandparents."

"Chloe, these people are dangerous. They could come after you guys too. Lex and I both agree that both of you should stay out of sight until this is over."

"No, nobody who knows anything about this is safe, not until whoever is responsible is exposed!"

"Well, I'm not going to leave either of you alone. Grab your laptop and let's go."

Emmeline looked at Chloe, concerned for her friend. She knew that she was probably regretting getting involved with Lionel now more than ever.

The three of them hopped into Clark's truck and drove back to the farm. When they got there, they were quite displeased to see Lionel standing in the driveway with Clark's parents.

Lionel shook Clark's hand. "Hello, Clark." He turned to Chloe and shook her hand as well. "Miss Sullivan, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Chloe answered quietly.

"And Miss Brooks?"

Emmeline nervously stared at his outstretched hand but kept her hands shoved in her sweatshirt pockets. Lionel slowly lowered his hand, and she couldn't help but notice the…smug look he had on his face.

"Clark, Mr. Luthor has something he'd like to talk to you about," Jonathon said to his son.

"I'm afraid it's serious," Martha added.

"Have you seen Lex, Clark?" Lionel asked.

Clark paused a little before answering, "Not for a few days."

"Lex is missing. It's important that I find him."

"Mr. Luthor, I know Lex pretty well, and if he wanted you to know where he was, you probably would."

"Lex is seriously ill. He needs help."

"What do you mean, ill?"

"There's a psychotic break. Lex has had a psychotic break."

Emmeline and Chloe exchanged a surprised look. Hadn't they just seen the guy a couple days ago? He had seemed just fine then. And Lex was almost always cool and collected in public.

"That can't be right," Clark continued.

"It happened while he was on that island. I thought he'd beaten it, but, um…he's had a relapse. He is suffering from paranoid delusions. He's hearing voices. He sees things that aren't there." Lionel took a step toward Clark. "I want my son. I want him back. The way he used to be. If you hear from him Clark, you have to help me. We have to get him the care he needs."

Lionel left the farm and Emmeline released a breath she hadn't realized she hadn't been holding.

Clark led Emmeline and Chloe into the barn where they saw Lex hugging a blanket and singing to it.

"He thinks it's his little brother," Clark said quietly to them.

Lex looked up and smiled at the two girls. "Hi, Chloe, Emmeline." He stood up and walked over to them. "It's good to see you girls again."

Clark pulled Chloe and Emmeline away for a second. "Can you both just look after him for a few minutes? I need to talk with my parents."

"Sure," Chloe said.

Clark left the barn and the two girls slowly approached Lex.

"How are doing?" Chloe asked him.

"A little sore from being shot at, but I'll survive. The better question is how are the both of you? My father has gone to great lengths to keep this all quiet."

"We're fine. For now."

"You should start sleeping with one eye open. I'll protect you, like I promised, but I don't know how far he's willing to go when it comes to you."

"We'll be okay, Lex," Emmeline said.

"I need to talk to the Kents. Tell them about what I know."

"No, wait!" Chloe said quickly. "Uh, Clark said he needed to talk to them about something private."

"This can't wait, Chloe."

"No, Lex!"

Lex bounded out of the barn and back to the house. Chloe and Emmeline looked at each other for a second before hurrying after him. They caught up with him in the front yard and saw him looking at everyone angrily.

"We tried to stop him. I'm sorry," Chloe apologized.

Lex looked at the two girls incredulously. Then he turned back to the Kents. "You're all watching me now?"

He turned and began to walk off. Clark quickly ran up to him and grabbed his arm.

"Lex! Where are you going?"

"To find Morgan Edge and prove I'm not crazy."

"Lex…"

"You're either with me or against me Clark. Choose right now."

Clark glanced back at his parents for a second.

"Clark," Jonathon said pleadingly.

Emmeline looked over at him and watched with immense worry as he took off with Lex.

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline drove out to the edge of the town to meet with Clark and get another update on Lex. Emmeline was only there because like Clark had said, neither of them should be alone. The two of them got out of Chloe's car as Clark's truck pulled up.

"Hey," Chloe said, going over to his window.

"Thanks for meeting me all the way out here," Clark told her.

"Of course."

He handed her a small medical bottle. "Look, I need you to find out if this can make someone hallucinate."

"Okay, I'll get it to my source at the pharmacology lab."

"Also, I need to check out a Dr. Claire Foster and the two security guards. If there's a conspiracy, they're probably in on it."

"Uh, Clark, I dug up some of Lex's medical records. Apparently this isn't the first time he's had this kind of problem."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, after his brother died, Lex went right back to boarding school. And soon after that, he started exhibiting some…pretty bizarro behavior."

"What do you mean, 'bizarro'?"

"His housemaster found him sitting in the bell tower in the middle of the night, singing a lullaby to a wrapped up blanket." Clark's face fell a little bit. "You know, I want to believe that this is a conspiracy just as much as you do, believe me, but I think we need to start preparing ourselves for the possibility that Lex really is losing his mind."

* * *

The two girls rushed to the hospital as soon as they got the news that Lana had been admitted and that things weren't looking too good.

As they approached her room, they both could hear Lionel yelling. "If you had listened to me, Lex would already be getting the help he needs, and Miss Lang wouldn't be here fighting for her life!"

"Clark?" Chloe said as they rounded the corner. "Are you okay?"

Lionel looked at Clark hardly. "But don't worry about me, Clark. My security personnel are well-equipped to protect me and to, um, find my son. Now, I strongly suggest the three of you go home before you do any more damage." He turned and walked past the two girls. "Miss Sullivan. Miss Brooks."

Chloe and Emmeline stepped over to Clark. "The drug analysis came back. It was just a common sedative."

Clark's face fell again and he looked inside the window of Lana's room. "Lionel's right, Chloe. I really screwed up."

"Maybe not. There are a lot of drugs that could make Lex see pink elephants. Now, the question is, how did it get into his system?"

Clark thought for a second. "The mansion. Everything is brought to him there: the food, the drinks."

"So for all we know, they could have been dosing him for weeks."

Clark quickly left the hospital to go get Lex the help he needed. Chloe and Emmeline looked at Lana through the window. Emmeline put her hand to the glass.

"Do you think she'll pull through?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, I do. The doctors say that it's going to be tough but that she got to the hospital just in time."

"In that case, she's got a really rough run ahead of her."

"What do you mean?"

"That brace on her leg? My dad had to get it when he shattered his bone at work a few years ago. It is extremely painful because the metal pins have to be tightened every few moments. Not to mention there's the hours of physical therapy she's going to have to go through in order to get her leg working again."

Chloe's eyes teared up. "Em…this is all my fault. If I hadn't gotten involved with Lionel in the first place, this wouldn't have happened."

"No," Emmeline said firmly. "You heard Lex. He was looking into Lionel before he ever knew that you were. This would've happened whether you had gotten involved with Lionel or not."

* * *

Emmeline gently opened the door to Lana's hospital room. "Hey," she said with a small smile. "Welcome back."

Lana gave her a pained smile. "I heard about Lex. He's in a mental hospital?"

"Yeah…we all tried to help, but it was just no use."

"Clark's not taking it well."

"He was here?"

"Yeah. I guess I finally realized why he kept pushing me away all this time. He was just trying to keep me safe."

"Look, Lana, you and I both know that you've got a long journey ahead of you to fix that leg. But I promise you that I am going to help you through this, okay? If you need someone to talk to, I'm here. If you need someone there to help you through the physical therapy, I'll be here in the blink of an eye."

A tear slipped from Lana's eye, but Emmeline didn't know if it was because of what she had just said or because of the pain in her leg.

* * *

"Emmeline, there's something I want to talk to you about," Hannah said as her daughter sat across from her at the Talon.

"Okay, what's up?"

"I have been here for a few weeks now. And from what I've seen…this place is too dangerous for you. I think it would be best for you to come live with me at my home in New York."

"What?"

"I live in a very safe neighborhood, and it would be a way for us to continue getting to know each other."

"Hannah…my whole life is here."

"I know. But after what I've seen happen with Lana and Clark and even you with that car accident, I just think you would be safer living with me."

Emmeline scoffed. "You may be related to me by blood, but that does not make you my mother, and it doesn't give you the right to want to pull me away from all I've ever known. If I moved with you, I would be starting back over again. Do you know how long it took for me to be comfortable with these people I call my friends? I can't just leave now."

"Emmeline, please…"

"No!" Emmeline exclaimed as she stood up from the table. "I'm not going with you. I'm staying in Smallville."

She furiously left the Talon as Hannah watched her daughter go with a stoic expression on her face.


	53. Asylum

For the following month, Hannah tried her best to convince Emmeline to move to New York with her, but Emmeline was adamant that her home was in Smallville. She couldn't just up and leave all her friends and her parents. Emmeline tried to make Hannah understand that what she was seeing now was not how she had always been. If she moved to New York, she didn't know how long it would take her to make any friends again.

Lana was out of the hospital and was now in the painful hours of physical therapy. Emmeline and Chloe took turns taking her there since she wasn't fit to drive yet. Chloe usually didn't stay because she was so busy with the Torch, but every now and again, Emmeline would sit in and watch Lana's attempts at getting her leg working again. It was a long, long road but with each session, Lana improved more and more.

On one occasion, Emmeline and Chloe had just dropped Lana off at physical therapy and were alone in Emmeline's car.

"Chloe," Emmeline said gently. "Lana may be the one who's been in the hospital and physical therapy, but I'm more worried about you. For the last month, you have been distant and weighed down. Just talk to me."

Chloe sighed and turned to look at her best friend. "Remember when Lex came into the Torch and warned me about what I was getting into?"

Emmeline nodded.

"Well, I went to go see him after that, and he promised me that he would protect me from Lionel. He said he was the only one who could, and I believed him. But now…with him being in Belle Reve…he can't even protect himself. So who's going to protect me now?"

* * *

Emmeline and Chloe walked into the Torch office late at night to find Clark using one of the computers.

"Clark, turn a light on," Chloe told him as she flipped the switch on the desk lamp. "It's bad for your eyes. What are you doing burning the midnight oil?"

"Trying to prove Lex doesn't belong in Belle Reve," Clark answered.

"What'd you find on Lex?"

Clark handed them a file. "Well, I have his medical record. Dr. Foster's definitely drugging him."

Chloe and Emmeline began flipping through the file. "Clark, there are millions of reasons why should could be administering this drug. Psychotherapy is just trial and error. This doesn't prove anything."

"We're not saying you're wrong, we're just saying that you need some more solid proof," Emmeline added. "Unfortunately, we have to play devil's advocate."

"I know," Clark said. "But I got to do something."

"Well, why don't we work on this in the morning, okay?" Chloe said gently. "This is just a pit stop. We have to pick up Lana on our way home."

Clark paused and looked up from the computer. "How is Lana?"

"It's been really tough. She could use some moral support."

"I sent her a card."

Chloe smirked. "Nothing says 'I love you' more than a $1.50 piece of cardboard."

"If she wanted me there, Chloe, I'd be there. Right now, I'm just trying to keep my promises for once."

Chloe and Emmeline looked at each other sadly. "Well, keep us posted on the 'Free Lex' front."

"Chloe, Em, wait," Clark called before the two girls could make it out the door. "Dr. Foster has recommended Lex for radical electroshock therapy."

"That's a little extreme, don't you think?"

The two of them came back over to him and stood on either side of him. "It is. Memory loss is almost a given, and if everything doesn't go exactly as planned, Lex could turn out a vegetable."

"When does this happen?"

"24 hours."

* * *

Clark, Chloe, and Emmeline went to the hospital and went to the room of one of Dr. Foster's patients. The same thing had been done to him what they planned on doing to Lex.

As they peeked in, they saw the poor man lying on the bed in a permanent vegetative state.

"Is this what you're planning on doing to Lex?" Clark asked furiously.

Dr. Foster looked up to find the three teens in the doorway.

"There's nothing wrong with Lex," he continued. "You've been drugging him. That's why he's having paranoid delusions."

"If you're here to accuse me of criminal malpractice, I hope you have the facts to back it up," Dr. Foster said hardly.

"Oh, I'm sure you could talk your way out of Lex's dubious drug regime," Chloe said. "But what about the existing lawsuit for radical electric shock therapy?"

Dr. Foster looked down at the motionless patient. "What happened to Mr. Watkins was unfortunate. But for your information, that suit was dropped."

"Because Lionel Luthor paid it off," Clark stated.

"I'm very busy. So if you two will excuse me."

She walked out the door, but Clark wasn't letting her off that easily. "Do you think if you turn Lex into a vegetable that Lionel Luthor's gonna let you off the hook?"

Dr. Foster looked at them but didn't say anything. It was clear that she knew the answer to that question.

"You have all the power here, Doctor," Chloe pleaded. "Please, help Lex and yourself."

* * *

Emmeline waited for Lana to finish up her daily physical therapy. She had certainly improved a lot, but she still wasn't totally there yet.

Once her trainer was gone, Lana grabbed her crutches and began hobbling over to Emmeline.

"Ready to go?" Lana asked.

Emmeline smiled a little. "Uh-uh. You're not done just yet."

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember? My dad went through the exact same thing. So lose the crutches. We're going to take a walk around the room."

"Em, I can barely even stand without these things."

"I know."

Emmeline held out her hands. Lana sighed and put down her crutches before grasping Emmeline's hands tightly.

"Good," Emmeline said. "Now we're just going to walk around the room slowly. Do the best you can. I won't let anything happen."

Lana took a deep breath and tried to walk. She cried out in pain as she walked on her bad leg.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Emmeline said quickly, clutching her hands even tighter to keep her from faltering. "I've got you. I'm not gonna let you fall. One step at a time, okay?"

Lana took a step on her good leg and then took another step on her bad leg. Her face contorted again from the pain, but she remained standing.

"Good."

The two of them ended up making almost a full lap around the physical therapy room before Lana insisted that she couldn't go on.

Emmeline set her down on a bench and grabbed her crutches for her.

"I know it hurts, but as the saying goes, 'No pain, no gain'."

Lana smirked as she took a couple of deep breaths. "Funny, you sound like someone else I know."

* * *

Emmeline and Chloe walked into the Torch office, their faces ashen.

"What's wrong?" Clark asked.

"Claire Foster's dead," Chloe said numbly. "They found her car wrapped around a tree off highway 54."

"I feel the invisible hand of Lionel Luthor," Pete said coldly. "You three had better back off before he sets his sights on you. I am not losing my girlfriend to that man."

Pete stormed out of the office.

Chloe quickly went up to Clark. "Now, I know you were just trying to help Lex, but I think you've made matters worse."

"No, there's got to be another way to stop the procedure," Clark said firmly.

"Clark, Dr. Foster tried to stop it, and look what happened to her. Lionel Luthor is gonna make sure this procedure happens."

* * *

And Chloe was right. The procedure did happen. Lex didn't turn into a vegetable, but he did lose seven weeks of his memory. And that meant he could no longer help Chloe and Emmeline bust Lionel on the murder of his parents. Chloe was terrified about what Lionel was going to do to her if he ever found out that she was the one who supplied him with the information. Emmeline knew that Lionel wouldn't hesitate to come after her just because of her close friendship with Chloe.

Now…the two girls were on their own once again.

The night of Lana's welcome back party at the Talon, Emmeline was sitting alone in a corner.

Pete came over and sat down next to her. "What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Is that any way to treat your boyfriend? Come on, you tell me everything."

Emmeline sighed and looked up at him. "Hannah is suing my parents for custody of me."


	54. Whisper

"Clark?" Emmeline called as she knocked on the door to his house.

"Em, is that you?"

"Uh, yeah. Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Emmeline came inside to find Clark on the couch staring into space. Well…not exactly staring…

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"It's an adjustment. It's going to be pretty difficult getting used to not seeing anything. I just have to hang on to the hope that it's only temporary. Uh…how are you doing? You know…with Hannah and everything?"

"Uh, you know what, that's not important right now."

"Em, just because this happened to me doesn't mean I don't want to hear about what's going on with you."

Emmeline sighed heavily. "Hannah just won't listen to me. I told her a hundred times that I want to stay here in Smallville. That I have a really hard time meeting people and how hard it would be for me to adjust to life somewhere else. But she's convinced that my life will be better if I move to New York with her. She won't let me have any say in this whole custody thing."

"Well, did you ever consider that maybe she has a point?"

"What do you mean?"

"There have been a lot of meteor freak problems in the past few years that you've been caught in the middle of."

"I think we both know New York isn't much safer. Besides, I'd have to say good-bye to everyone here, and I don't think I could do it." Emmeline stood up from the couch. "Uh, Pete and I will stop by tomorrow to help you get to school."

"Alright. And Em? Don't worry about Hannah. Everything will work out."

"I hope so."

* * *

As Pete and Emmeline guided Clark through the school hallways, almost everyone turned their heads to look at the injured boy.

"Everyone's staring, aren't they?" Clark asked.

"Uh, they're just digging your shades," Pete answered.

Clark smiled as they arrived at his locker.

Pete started entering in the combination on his lock. "Hey, man, let me give you a hand. I've been up on this combination since the third grade. Here you go." He opened the locker and guided Clark's hand to the top shelf so he could get his books. "If it helps, the guy who did this landed on my mom's court calendar. Somehow, I don't think Judge Ross is gonna be giving this Masterson guy any breaks."

"Clark." Pete and Emmeline turned to find Lana walking up to them. "You're already back?"

"Nothing quite that heroic," Clark answered a little nervously. "It's just a pit stop."

"Well, um, if you need anything, I'm here for you. Class notes, help writing your papers."

Clark turned back to his locker and accidently dropped all the textbooks he was holding. All of them knelt down to help him retrieve them.

"One thing I learned from my accident is that you can't go through something like this alone."

"Lana, just because I'm blind doesn't mean the issues between us have disappeared," Clark told her bluntly. "This doesn't change anything."

"I was just offering a helping hand, Clark. But I won't make that mistake again."

Lana walked off, clearly offended.

"Whoever said 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' obviously hasn't met the two of you," Pete remarked.

As Pete closed the locker door, Clark suddenly cried out in pain and put his hand to his ear.

"Clark, are you okay?" Emmeline asked quickly as she put her hands on him. "What is it?"

"Guys, did you hear that?" Clark said.

"Hear what?" Pete asked.

"Chloe?"

"She's not here, Clark."

Clark's brow furrowed in confusion as he appeared to be listening to something. Suddenly, the bell rang and he bent over as he cried out in pain again.

"Clark!" Emmeline cried. "What's the matter?"

"What happened?" Pete asked.

"Pete, there's something wrong," Clark grimaced. "You have to get me home right away."

"Okay. Em, get to class. I'll take Clark home."

"Uh, okay. Let me know if everything's alright!"

* * *

After school, Chloe and Emmeline drove over to Clark's to make sure he was all right after the whole episode in the hallway.

"Clark?" Chloe called.

"Chloe," Clark addressed.

"Hi, Clark," Emmeline put in so that he would know she was there as well.

"Hey, Em."

Chloe went over to him and put her hand on his arm. "Hi. Look, as much as I try and avoid unbearable cliches, if there's anything I can do, just…"

"I-I'll manage," Clark said with a thin smile. He slowly walked away from her. "You both didn't come all the way out here to check out the blind guy."

"Actually, I'm on something of a mission. Have you seen Pete?" Chloe grimaced when she realized she had just said 'seen'. "Sorry. It's, um…we were supposed to meet this morning and double-team on my Daily Planet column—"

"The column Lionel Luthor helped you land?"

Chloe paused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Clark turned to her. "I may have lost my sight, but things are becoming much clearer now. Exactly how long have you and Lionel been looking into my life?"

Chloe and Emmeline shared a nervous glance. How had he found out about this?

"Since last spring," Chloe answered shamefully. "The day after Lex's wedding."

"When you saw me and Lana together. Is that why you did this?"

Chloe didn't answer.

"Your silence is deafening. Emmeline, did you know about this?"

Emmeline's throat tightened as he used her full name. "Uh…"

"You did. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I…I knew you'd react this way."

"What did you give him?" he demanded of Chloe.

"Nothing," Chloe answered quickly. "Nothing he didn't already know."

"Well, then what is he sharing with you?"

"Nothing. Believe it or not, Clark, I-I was just—I was trying to help you."

"Oh, by spying on me."

"No, by just trying to understand why he's so intrigued with you."

"And if the Torch got a few new computers and you made a name for yourself at the Daily Planet, that was okay too. For all the times you accused me of keeping secrets, how could you do this to me?!"

"I was…he just, he caught me at an especially bad time. And I caved. I've been trying to get out of it ever since, but when people like Lionel Luthor have you, they don't want to let go. You know, I thought that you out of all people would understand making a stupid decision in a moment of weakness. But I guess I was wrong."

Chloe stormed back to her car, but Emmeline remained behind. She couldn't seem to be able to make her feet move. Clark wasn't supposed to find out this way. Even better, not at all.

"Clark…" she started. "Please understand. This whole situation hasn't been easy for anyone. Chloe didn't even tell me about this until a few months ago when things started getting really bad."

Clark couldn't see her, but he could hear the tears in her voice. "I think it would be best if you left."

Emmeline bit her lip as she tearfully followed Chloe to her car.

* * *

Emmeline and Abby Ross stepped inside the door to the Kent farm where Martha, Jonathon, and Sheriff Adams had gathered. Emmeline had been at Pete's house all afternoon since she had gotten the news that he had been kidnapped.

"Abby?" Jonathon said.

"Judge Ross," Sheriff Adams addressed. "You should be home in case there's a ransom demand."

"They just called," Abby responded shakily. "I asked your deputy to bring me and Emmeline straight here."

"Is Pete all right?" Martha asked.

"So far."

Jonathon guided Abby to a chair at the dining room table. "What do they want?"

"Masterson's pretrial hearing is tomorrow. Apparently, his attorney is going to make a motion to dismiss all charges. If I don't grant it, they're going to kill my son."

Emmeline gasped as tears came to her eyes. She put her hands to her mouth and fell against the cabinet behind her. Martha quickly came over to her and put her arms around her as Jonathon put his hand on Abby's.

"It'll be okay, Emmeline," Martha said quietly to the girl as she rubbed her hand against her shoulder. "It'll be okay."

Emmeline turned and hugged Martha, crying onto her shoulder.

If she lost the first boyfriend she ever had like this, she didn't know what she would do.

* * *

That night, Emmeline was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest. Tears leaked down her cheeks and fell on her pink pajama pants.

"Emmeline?" her mother said softly. "How are you holding up?"

Emmeline didn't answer her. Her mother walked into the room and sat on her bed next to her.

"I know that there's really nothing I can say to make you feel better right now. So I'm going to do what mothers do best."

Her mother put her arms around her and hugged her tightly. Emmeline began sobbing as she turned and hugged her mother back.

"I'm so scared, Mom!" she cried. "I don't want to lose him!"

"I know, honey. I know."

She rubbed comforting circles on her daughter's back, her heart breaking at the sound of her sobs.

* * *

Emmeline followed Abby and Sheriff Adams down the hallway on the way to the courtroom.

"Judge, I've got people fanning out from that garage trying to find your son, but we are running out of time," Sheriff Adams said.

Abby turned to her. "I know. Releasing Masterson goes against everything that I believe in. But if I don't, it could mean Pete's life." She looked down the hallway to see Masterson speaking with his lawyer. He had a smug smile on his face. "Look at him. He knows he has us over a barrel."

"What are you gonna do?"

"Until the hearing starts, pray."

Abby started walking away, but Emmeline stopped her. "Mrs. Ross, I really hope Pete gets back okay."

Abby looked at her son's girlfriend, taking note of how red her eyes were. "You know, Emmeline, Pete's never had someone like you in his life. I'm really glad you're the one he's dating."

Emmeline smiled sadly. As Abby walked off, she looked towards the doorway and saw Clark standing there. His eyes became hard as she walked over to him.

"Look, Clark," she said pleadingly. "I know you're mad at me right now, but…I don't know how you do what you do, and right now, I don't really care. Just…please bring him back to me."

Clark's eyes softened a little. "I will."

Emmeline walked away from him and sat on one of the benches, anxiously awaiting to hear what was going to happen with Pete.

After several tense minutes which felt like an eternity, her cell phone rang. She quickly whipped it out of her pocket and answered it.

"Em?" Clark said on the other end. "I've got Pete! He's okay!"

Tears of relief filled her eyes. "Thank goodness. Tell him I'm glad he's safe!" She hung up and ran to go find Abby. "Mrs. Ross!" Abby turned to the girl. "I don't know how, but Clark found Pete! He's okay!"

Abby sighed happily. "Thank the Lord."

Emmeline smiled broadly. "Go give Masterson what's coming to him."

Abby smiled and hugged Emmeline. Then she left to give Masterson the sentence he deserved.

He was certainly in for one heck of a surprise.

* * *

Clark brought Pete straight to the courthouse so he could see his mother. She was still in the courtroom when they got there, but Emmeline was outside waiting for the hearing to be over. As soon as she saw Pete, she ran over to him as fast as she could and flung her arms around his neck.

"I'm so happy you're okay," she said, tears of joy filling her eyes once more.

Pete tightly hugged her back. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Emmeline looked up at Clark. His eyes were still hard and it was clear he was still extremely upset with her. She couldn't really blame him, but it still didn't feel good to have him mad at her.

She finally looked away from him and buried her face into Pete's neck as they continued to hug.

* * *

Inside the Talon, a group of girls had gathered around Pete near the counter. Emmeline was holding his hand and listening to him retell the story of how he so heroically saved himself from the car compacter at the junkyard. She still didn't know exactly how everything had really gone down, but she knew that Clark had been responsible for the majority of the rescue.

"And that's the way I pulled myself out of the compactor and got away," Pete smiled as he finished his story.

"That's the bravest thing I've ever heard," one of the girls fawned.

"Well, you know, if I didn't do something fast, I'd be Spam in a can, so…"

"You are so lucky to be dating him," another girl said to Emmeline.

Emmeline smiled. "I know." She gently kissed Pete on the lips.

Clark came up to the counter beside her and Pete and chuckled a little. "I have a feeling I'll be hearing this story for a long time."

Pete laughed as they turned around. "Busted. But, you know, what can I say? Chicks dig a hero."

"He's not wrong," Emmeline said.

"Hope you don't mind I'm bending the truth a little bit."

"Pete, look who you're talking to. The master truth-bender. Besides, after everything you've done for me, it's the least I can do." Clark took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"What's the matter?"

"My eyes are just adjusting. I think I need a new prescription."

Chloe walked into the Talon and up to the three of them. It was clear she was pretty upset.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey, Chloe," Pete smiled. "Hey, I'm ready for my big Torch interview."

"Sorry, Pete, I'm gonna have to reschedule." She looked over at Clark. "I'm really glad you're feeling better."

She turned to go, but Pete quickly grabbed her arm. "Chloe, what's the matter?"

Chloe took a deep breath as she looked at them all. "I just lost my Daily Planet column."

"What? Why?"

"They didn't exactly spell it out on the pink slip. And in the 'when it rains, it pours' category, my dad just got laid off from his job at LuthorCorp this morning."

"That doesn't make any sense," Clark put in. "Your father's worked there for years."

"If you want answers, ask Lex. He's the one that dropped the ax."

Everyone looked at one another in shock. They couldn't even imagine how Chloe must've been feeling at the moment. Clark's anger really didn't help the heavy weight on her shoulders.

Emmeline pulled Pete over to sit at one of the tables. "I have something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Pete asked.

Emmeline took a nervous breath. "I was so scared when I heard about what happened to you. I can't even remember the last time I've been so scared. And it got me thinking. You've been my friend for about two and a half years and my boyfriend for several months. And sure, I would've been scared if this had happened during the time we were just friends, but this was different. And I realized that it's because…I…I love you."

Pete smiled broadly. "Really? You do?"

Emmeline nodded shyly.

"I love you too, Em."

The two of them stood up from the table and shared a long, lingering kiss.

Two years ago, Emmeline never would've seen this moment coming in a million years.


	55. Delete

**Sorry this took so much longer than usual. This chapter was super long and I didn't have a lot of motivation to do it because there wasn't a lot for Emmeline to do. Hopefully, now I'll be back on schedule.**

* * *

When Chloe walked into the Torch office, she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Welcome to the Torch," Pete said as he and Emmeline cleaned up the office to get the next issue out. "Unplugged."

"Pete, what happened to my computers?" Chloe asked in shock.

"A bunch of deliverymen stopped by this afternoon. LuthorCorp took the computers back."

"But they were donated."

"Yeah, well, I guess the Grinch changed his mind. Oh yeah, some girl stopped by. Didn't leave a name."

"Thanks, Pete."

"Hey, I'll be out in a second," Emmeline said to her boyfriend.

"Alright."

He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before leaving the room.

"Well, this is just the icing on the cake of my week," Chloe said bitterly. "Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse."

"I'm so sorry," Emmeline told her sympathetically. "I know there's really nothing I could say to make you feel better right now. How about tomorrow you can stop by my place for a little while after school? I'll make sure to have lots of chocolate and we can have an emergency chick flick marathon."

Chloe smiled a little. "You're the best."

"I'm gonna go put these papers in one of the stands. See you tomorrow?"

"Alright, bye."

After Emmeline put the latest issue of the Torch in the display case, she went back to the office and grabbed her belongings. Then she went out the front of the building to meet up with Pete when she saw a red truck ram straight towards Chloe who had been walking to her car.

Chloe tripped and the truck ran straight over her, crashing into a Smallville High van.

"Chloe!" Emmeline screamed.

Without even thinking about the maniac in the truck, she began running over towards her friend, hoping that she was okay.

However, she stopped running when the driver of the truck exited the vehicle. She could not believe her eyes.

It was Clark.

He looked over at her. "Em? What's wrong?"

Emmeline didn't answer as she looked at him in horror, still trying to understand why he had just tried to kill her best friend. Chloe moved out from under the truck. Clark's eyes widened when he saw who was under it.

"Chloe?"

* * *

At Smallville Medical Center, the three of them were taken to an examination room. Chloe was checked for fractures while Clark was given a Breathalyzer test.

"The last thing I remember, I was in the library," Clark explained to Sheriff Adams. "I was working on my history paper."

Sheriff Adams looked at the test. "Stone sober. Miss Sullivan, would you care to shed any light on Mr. Kent's version of the incident?"

"Do you mean the part where I wasn't eating pavement?" Chloe asked harshly. "I don't know, um…it just—it looked like he lost control of his truck."

"Miss Brooks, anything else to add?"

Emmeline looked over at Clark and then at Chloe. "Uh…no, Chloe's right. He lost control of the truck."

Sheriff Adams sighed. "Well, Mr. Kent, your family sure has its way of going through vehicles."

"Chloe…" Clark said nervously.

"Is that all you need from Clark?" Chloe asked the sheriff.

Sheriff Adams sighed again and looked at Clark and Emmeline. "Why don't the both of you go on home? I got a few more questions for our Miss Sullivan."

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Emmeline said quietly.

She quickly left the room before Clark, eager to get away from him. Being in his presence had been awkward and uncomfortable ever since the confrontation between him and the two girls.

"Hey," Pete said as she showed up in the waiting room. He quickly came over to her and gave her a small kiss. "Is everything alright?"

Emmeline sighed. "I don't know. Let's just get out of here. I need a coffee and I need it bad."

"Alright."

The two of them left as Emmeline tried to process what had just happened in the last hour.

* * *

Before the two girls went off to school, they stopped by Clark's house. When they walked in, Clark was pulling his supplies out of his destroyed truck.

"If you're looking for signs of tampering, I'll save you some time," Chloe told him. "There's nothing wrong with it. I asked the mechanic."

"There's got to be some explanation," Clark said.

"As to why you tried to mow me over? I'm ready and waiting."

"Didn't you and Em tell the sheriff that I lost control of the truck?"

"We were covering for you, Clark. You chased me onto the sidewalk." Her eyes started watering. "Now, I-I know that you're still upset with us about this whole Lionel thing, but don't you think that manslaughter is a little beyond 'eye for an eye'?"

"Chloe, you don't think I tried to hurt you."

"I don't know! But the way you've been acting lately…I don't know, Clark. I can only apologize so many times."

"I have been having a hard time getting over this. Every time I see you, I can't help picturing you and Lionel talking, or you and Em talking about it. You're not the same person you used to be."

"Kind of like if I moved to Metropolis and became a motorcycle-riding party animal and told you to get out of my life. Kind of like that, right?" Clark looked away from her guiltily. "Look, you know what? As much fun as this guilt trip is, I came here to see if you put any more pieces together from last night. What happened after the library?"

"I don't even remember leaving the library. The last thing I do remember, I was working on my laptop."

Chloe walked over to his pile of supplies and opened his computer. After searching for recent documents, his paper popped up onto the screen.

"Well, the computer recovered your paper," Chloe told him. "That's an interesting take on General Sherman."

Clark came over to her and looked at the computer screen where the blinking cursor sat after he had typed 'General Sher'.

"I didn't even finish my sentence," he remarked.

Clark pushed a button on the computer and opened up his email account. The most recent one was from 'brainwave '. When he tried to open it up again, a notification came up saying that the email was locked.

"It says I downloaded an e-mail before the accident. It won't open."

"Who's Brainwave?"

* * *

The next day at school, Chloe and Emmeline walked down the hallway, stopping by a bulletin board.

"Are you doing okay?" Emmeline asked. "I know everything happening with Clark really isn't easy on either of us."

Chloe sighed. "If I had just listened to the reasonable part of my brain last year, none of this would've happened."

"We all do things we regret. But in the end, we become better people for it."

The sound of something heavy falling to the floor alerted them to Lana walking over to them.

"Lana, hey, we've been looking for you," Chloe said.

Lana didn't respond. Instead, she grabbed Chloe by the hair and slammed her against the wall. Then she threw her down the flight of stairs next to them. With a cold look in her eye, she started down the stairs.

Chloe quickly stood up, a small cut on her forehead. "Lana, what are you doing?"

"Killing Chloe Sullivan."

Lana did a spin-kick and sent Chloe tumbling down the next flight of stairs.

"Lana, stop!" Emmeline cried.

Was the same thing that happened to Clark happening to her? If that was the case, she may not know exactly what she was doing.

Lana kicked Chloe in the stomach and slammed her against the wall again. She followed as Chloe went down the stairs. The two girls grabbed each other's jackets and began tearing at one another. Finally, Chloe punched Lana in the face and sent her tumbling down the few stairs that were left.

Chloe slammed Lana into a glass case behind her. Lana then kicked her in the stomach to get her off before kicking her in the face which sent her to the ground.

Lana turned and grabbed an axe from the glass case behind her. A group of students who had gathered to witness the fight screamed in horror as Lana began attacking Chloe with the axe.

By now, Emmeline had sprinted down the stairs and could only watch with terrified eyes as the two went at each other. On a normal day, Emmeline was pretty sure she could take down Lana if she wanted. But right now, she was on a frenzy with an axe, and that meant she couldn't do anything without getting a limb lopped off.

The two girls carried their fight into the girls' locker room where shrill shrieks were heard. Emmeline bolted after them and found all of the girls in their underwear scurrying away from the axe-wielding Lana.

Lana swung the axe into one of the lockers and it lodged itself inside. She delivered another spin-kick to Chloe's stomach which sent her into the running showers where more girls screamed and ran away.

Chloe sat against the wall, breathing heavily. She looked up at Lana who was charging towards her with the axe above her head.

Suddenly, Lana's newest friend, Adam, came barreling in and grabbed the axe before Lana could hurt Chloe. Refusing to release her weapon, Lana kicked Adam away from her. She tried to swing the axe at him, but he kicked her which caused it to fall from her hands. Adam quickly retrieved it before she could and pinned his foot to her stomach. Lana grabbed his foot and twisted so he went spinning to the ground.

Chloe kicked her foot out towards Lana's, and the girl fell backwards before hitting her head on the hard tile. Blood came from her nose and had coated the lower half of her face. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at everyone.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

So Emmeline was right. Lana hadn't realized what she was doing when she attacked Chloe. Something was going on here, and whatever it was, things weren't looking bright for her best friend.

* * *

Everyone gathered at the Talon after the catfight in Smallville High that was sure to become something of a legend at the school.

Chloe's cut on her forehead had been bandaged up and she was currently sipping a cup of tea.

"So we can rule out paranoia," Chloe said dryly. "Someone is officially trying to kill me."

"Not just someone," Clark added.

"Yeah, well, either way, it still doesn't look great for me."

Lana came over to the table with an ice pack. "Chloe, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I went after you like that."

Chloe took the ice pack away from her and pressed it to her cut. "Yeah. I can't believe you got us suspended. Thankfully, Adam was there. Those were some really nice moves. What was that? Kung fu? Judo?"

Adam shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I've watched a few too many Jackie Chan movies."

"Well, who would've thought it would come in handy in the treacherous halls of Smallville High?"

A thoughtful look crossed Clark's face. "Just before this, did you get any weird emails?"

"Let me check," Lana answered. She opened up her PDA. "I did, but I don't remember opening it."

"It sounds like the same thing happened to both of us. It's like we were being hypnotized."

"It could be a subliminal message," Adam put in.

"Something could've been hidden in the binary codes," Chloe added.

Lana handed her PDA to Clark. "Well, how did I get snapped out of it?"

"Right now, I'm a little bit more concerned with what triggered the 'Kill Chloe' impulse in the first place."

Clark looked at the PDA and then up at everyone with no emotion. "It's Brainwave again."

Adam went over to one of the Talon computers as everyone gathered behind him. "Every computer online has an IP address so we should be able to track the message and the computer that it was sent from."

"You can do that?" Clark asked suspiciously.

"We'll see."

"If this Brainwave person wanted me dead so badly, why didn't they just send me a message saying to off myself?" Chloe asked.

"The brain's hardwired to stay alive. I mean, not even hypnotic messages can override our survival instinct."

Clark's eyebrows rose. "What, did you just pick that up somewhere?"

"I was in physical rehab for months. What else is there to do but read?"

A dialogue box popped up on the computer saying that the computer was registered to Chloe Sullivan and the IP address was registered to LuthorCorp.

"Chloe, the message came from your computer," Clark remarked.

"I thought Lionel took back all of your computers," Lana said. "Why would anyone at LuthorCorp want to attack you?"

Chloe, Clark, and Emmeline all exchanged nervous glances. Lionel Luthor certainly would want to attack Chloe.

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline walked into the Torch office late at night, both of them a bit on edge with the assassin emails being sent out.

"Chloe," Clark's voice suddenly said.

The two girls gasped and whipped around to find Clark already in the office.

"Clark, don't sneak up on us like that!" Chloe scolded.

"Look, I talked to Lex and they found your old computer at LuthorCorp, but the hard drive is gone."

Chloe groaned. "Including all of my e-mail addresses."

"Well, we think this is who took it." He showed them a picture of a pretty brunette woman. "She may be working for Lionel. Her name's Molly—"

"—Griggs, yeah, I know. And for once the connection isn't Lionel. I interviewed her for a story I did about a month ago."

"About what?"

"Summerholt Neurological Institute."

"Summerholt? Isn't that where Ryan used to be?"

Emmeline's eyes darkened at the mention of her old friend. She thought about him a lot, and she really missed him. His life had ended far too soon.

"Yeah, to study his ESP," Chloe answered as she pulled out a file. "That's why I started looking into the place. Apparently, he isn't the only patient Dr. Garner held against their will."

Clark took the file from her. "Well, his methods are right out of the Mengele handbook."

"That sicko should be behind bars for the rest of his natural life," Emmeline said coldly. "He made Ryan's life a living hell."

"I know. Why was Molly there?"

"Uh, MIT recruited her at 15," Chloe explained. "She was a total engineer whiz kid until she went homicidal on another student. After her breakdown, they sent her to Summerholt."

"Yeah, but Summerholt isn't exactly a psych ward."

"For megalo-brainiacs, it is."

"Why would she want to kill you?"

"Well, when I talked to her, she was pretty adamant that Dr. Garner had given her a new life. I had enough ammunition in that article to shut him down in a second."

Clark looked at her urgently. "Chloe, who else knows about this article?"

"…Max."

Chloe quickly picked up the phone at her desk and called her friend.

"Max!" she said quickly into the receiver. She waited for him to finish speaking before she told him, "No, you don't understand. Someone doesn't want that article published and she's threatening whoever knows about it." After a bit of silence on her end, Emmeline could hear screams coming from the phone. "Max? Max?"

More shrill screams sounded out on the other end. Clark and Emmeline made eye contact.

This was really, really bad.

* * *

Clark, Chloe, and Emmeline walked inside Lex's mansion after Max's untimely death. Chloe had to go into hiding until Molly was caught or else the same thing could easily happen to her.

"Thanks for letting Chloe stay here, Lex," Clark said.

"Whatever I have to do to help," Lex answered smoothly.

"Yeah, this is the last place anybody would look for me," Chloe said nervously.

Lex looked up at her. "Chloe, I'm sorry about what happened to your friend at the Daily Planet. You must've really had Garner over a barrel."

"Yeah, well, I obviously didn't know what I was getting myself into. Just seems to be a nasty habit that I've picked up lately."

"So your theory is that Garner has turned Molly into his own email assassin, using hypnotic suggestion?"

"It's not that far of a stretch," Clark said in Chloe's defense. "Summerholt goes from studying the brain to controlling it."

"It's a pretty amazing breakthrough if you don't consider the application."

Chloe stepped up to his desk. "Well, there's no question. When it comes to brain warping, Dr. Garner is definitely the guy."

Clark's eyes turned cold. "I'm gonna go talk to Garner."

"No!" Chloe exclaimed as she grabbed his arm. "No, no, Clark, don't, please. It's too dangerous."

"I'm not the one he's looking for. It'll be all right. Just don't leave the mansion. I'll call you if I find anything."

Clark left the room as Lex stood up from his desk and walked over. "Chloe, I have my tech guys trying to track her. I'm gonna go see what they've got. Make yourself at home. Emmeline, you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like."

"Thank you, Mr. Luthor," Emmeline said quietly.

"I've told you before, you can call me Lex."

Lex followed in the direction Clark had gone. Chloe looked ready to fall apart at any second.

"It's gonna be okay," Emmeline said to reassure her best friend. "Clark always fixes these kinds of things. And if it makes you feel better, my phone is turned off so I won't see any freaky messages, and I won't be checking my email anytime soon either."

"Thanks. Molly will probably want to go after you next, so that's a good idea to stay away from technology for a while. How are things going with Hannah?"

"She hasn't spoken to me since I found out she's fighting for custody. It's tough on my parents because I know they don't want to lose me. Not to mention that this is costing a lot of money which is stacking up on top of all the medical bills from the cancer."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm pretty sure in light of recent events, you have it worse. I can't complain."

"Doesn't mean that whole situation doesn't totally suck."

"Yeah, it's hard. I guess I'm just hoping that Hannah will realize that this is hurting everyone more than it's helping."

Chloe's phone began ringing and she quickly answered it. "Hello? Really? Oh, okay. Yeah, um, I'll be right there."

"Who was that?" Emmeline asked once she had hung up.

"Mrs. Kent. She said Clark found out something, but it was too dangerous to talk about it over the phone. So she wants me to come over there."

"Are you sure about this? Clark didn't want you leaving the mansion. If he found out something, wouldn't he come back here?"

"I don't know, but this could be important. I trust Mrs. Kent."

"I do too when there's not a hypnotic assassin sending out emails. What if she's been affected?"

"I don't think she would be calling then. I think she'd be coming after me. Come on, Em, what if this is the way I find out how to stop this?"

"Well…then I'm coming with you."

By now, it was rather dark outside which made the whole situation that much more ominous. The two girls drove down to the Kent farm and stepped into the barn.

"Mrs. Kent?" Chloe called. She looked over and found Martha with her back to her. "Mrs. Kent, I got your call." The woman turned to face them. "What did Clark find out?"

Martha grabbed a sickle off the wall and started approaching Chloe with a cold look in her eyes.

Emmeline's heart rate sped up. Martha had gotten an email. Before either girl could make a run for it, Emmeline felt a sharp pain on the back of her head that made black dots cross her vision. Her vision finally completely faded and she collapsed on the ground.

Jonathon wrapped a chain around Chloe's neck and yanked her against a support beam. Martha walked towards her, the sickle raised over her head. With no other option, Chloe kicked her in the face which sent her sprawling backwards.

Suddenly, the pressure on her neck released and she fell forward.

"Chloe!" Clark said urgently as he knelt down next to her. "You all right?"

Chloe nodded until she saw with horror that Jonathon was coming up behind him. "Clark!"

Jonathon tackled Clark and began punching him mercilessly. Chloe frantically looked around for something she could do to help her friend. She ran over to the wall and pulled a lever that released several bales of hay from the loft above them.

After a few tense seconds, Clark pushed one of the fallen bales of hay off him.

"Mom!" he cried as he tossed away the bale on top of her

"What happened?" Martha asked breathlessly.

"You okay?"

Clark looked over at Chloe who was taking several deep breaths, looking exhausted from everything that had happened in the last few days. He then looked over at Emmeline's still form on the barn floor.

"Em!"

Clark ran over to her and turned her over so she was lying flat. Then he took her head in his hands and gently shook her.

"Em? Emmeline?"

Emmeline's eyes fluttered open. "Clark?"

"Hey, you okay?"

"My head hurts."

When Clark touched the back of her head to help her sit up, he could feel something wet and sticky. His stomach flipped a little when he saw her crimson blood on his hand.

"I've got to get you to the hospital."

Since she was still dazed, Clark gently lifted her up into his arms and carried her out to his truck.

"Em, stay awake for me, alright? Just talk to me."

"Talk about what?" she asked softly.

"I don't know. Tell me…tell me about you and Pete."

Emmeline smiled. "I love him. I love spending time with him, and how he knows exactly what I want. He knows me better than almost anyone I've ever met."

Clark smiled a little. It was weird that his two best friends were dating each other, but he had always seen it coming.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Emmeline was taken in to receive a CT scan to make sure there wasn't any damage to her brain.

Her parents came to pick her up as soon as they heard the news.

"What happened?" her mother asked frantically.

"I was helping Chloe with something, and…I fell and hit my head. They said I just have a mild concussion, so I'll be fine."

"As happy as I am that you found friends, you've never gotten into so much trouble before, especially this past year," her father told her. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine. I just wasn't paying attention."

"Excuse me?" Emmeline looked towards the parted curtain and saw Jonathon. "Could I talk to Emmeline for a minute?"

"Oh, of course," her mother said. "We'll just be in the waiting room, so come out when you're ready."

Her parents left and Jonathon looked at Emmeline. "I can't tell you how sorry I am for this."

"It's okay, Mr. Kent. Really. I know that it wasn't you. It was some evil email assassin person from Summerholt."

"That doesn't change the fact that I hurt you. So I'm going to be paying the medical bills for you."

"Oh, no, I can't let you do that."

"No objections. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here right now."

"It's not your fault though. I don't blame you in any way."

Jonathon smiled at her. "You're a pretty amazing girl, Emmeline. But I'm still paying for it. Now, let's not keep your parents waiting."

* * *

Clark and Emmeline walked into the Torch office to find all the computers back.

"New computers?" Clark asked.

"The same old computers, new Luthor," Chloe smiled. "Lex returned them to me, no strings attached. Uh, I guess he felt guilty about firing my dad."

"Well, at least you're up and running."

"Sans cyber stalker."

"Your soul is still intact."

"Yeah." She looked over at her best friend. "How are you feeling, by the way?"

"I'm a little dizzy still, but it's nothing serious," Emmeline answered.

"If it's any consolation, my dad feels terrible," Clark told her. "He's already taken out the money to pay for the hospital funds."

"I told him that it was really okay since I know it wasn't his fault."

"Well, you know my dad. He takes the blame for everything."

"Oh, that sounds familiar." Emmeline looked over at Chloe. "How are _you_ doing?"

Chloe sighed. "You know, all this stuff with Molly…there's just—there's a part of me that feels like maybe I deserve it."

"No, Chloe—" Clark started.

"No, like it was my penance, you know, for what I did to you." She walked over and sat on her desk.

Clark sighed as he set his backpack down. "You can't take all the blame. You went to Lionel because I pushed you away. It seems to be one of my hidden talents lately."

Chloe laughed. "It's not so hidden. You know, I never set out to investigate you, Clark. I didn't even tell Em about any of this for months. It just…it was so flattering that someone like that would be interested in my work."

"It made you feel like you mattered."

"Yeah. And then Lionel, like, set my dream out right in front of me, and I just…" Her eyes welled up with tears. "I don't know, I gave in to all my worst instincts."

"No, Chloe, he caught you at a weak moment, and we all have them. When you both found me at mine in Metropolis, neither of you turned your backs on me. You both gave me a second chance, and I at least owe you two the same."

"I'd like that. So what do we do now? I mean, we can't just forget about everything that's happened."

Clark got up and sat next to her. "Well, you have to understand that there are some things about me that'll never add up."

"I know that," she laughed.

"Are you willing to stop digging?"

Chloe took a deep breath. "Yeah. I mean, I figure you'll just tell us when you think it's right."

Clark smiled warmly. "I'll see guys you tomorrow."

"Okay." After he left, Chloe looked at Emmeline apologetically. "Em, you were right. I shouldn't have gone to the Kent farm. I should've known that it was a trap. It's my fault you got hurt."

"Will you and Mr. Kent relax? I'm fine, and it's no one's fault except Molly's. And besides, some people are worth getting concussions for."


	56. Hereafter

Clark and Emmeline approached an overwhelmed freshman at school after classes had finished. Clark was the mentor, and Emmeline was just along for the ride. After all, from what she'd heard, the new kid was rather shy and no one could understand that better than her.

"Jordan," Clark called. The new boy turned around. "The totally overwhelmed look gave you away. I'm Clark." He held his hand out for Jordan to shake, but Jordan just kept his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Right, the mentor guy," he smiled nervously. "Hi."

"And this is one of my best friends, Emmeline. But we all just call her Em."

"Nice to meet you," Emmeline said to him as she hugged her books to her chest.

"Hey, we were supposed to meet in the gymnasium. They said you bolted. Is everything okay?"

"I'm still trying to get used to all these people," Jordan told him. "I was home-schooled up until now."

"Allow me to be your lifeline. All new students are assigned a mentor, most importantly because they come with a map. Let me give you a lay of the land."

"Would you mind if I check with my dad?"

Clark and Emmeline looked over to find an older man getting out of his truck.

"Sure," Clark answered.

Jordan went over to his father and the two of them watched the awkward conversation between the two of them.

"He is so cute," Emmeline gushed quietly. "Was that how I was when you first met me?"

"No, you were worse. You wouldn't say two words unless you were forced to and even then, you wouldn't speak above a whisper."

Jordan suddenly started quickly walking towards the street. When Emmeline looked where he was going, she saw with horror that a car was speeding down the road and their coach, Mr. Altman, was moving towards it.

Before the car could hit the man, Clark pushed him out of the way. Emmeline furrowed her eyebrows as she looked next to her. Hadn't he just been standing beside her? How had he made it over there that fast?

She quickly ran over to the two of them.

"I just…I just want to be with my little girl!" Mr. Altman cried. "My daughter is dead, and it is my fault."

Emmeline sighed sadly. It was big news around school that Mr. Altman had just taken his daughter off life support last month and he had never been the same since. In fact, he hadn't been the same ever since she got hit by a car. She couldn't imagine the pain of being faced with the decision that will determine if your child lives or dies.

* * *

Clark and Emmeline touched Jordan's shoulder at school the next day to get his attention, and Jordan quickly spun around.

"Hey, Jordan, it's just us," Clark smiled.

"Yeah," he said nervously. "Hi."

"I just want to apologize for dropping mentor ball yesterday."

"Mr. Altman's lucky you were there. I just wish my dad hadn't seen it."

Clark and Emmeline followed him down the stairs. "Just tell him that Smallville High is rarely that exciting. Trust me, my parents wrote the book on being overprotective. You'll be just fine." He went to touch his shoulder again, but Jordan quickly moved out of the way. "You all right?"

"Yeah. I just don't like being touched."

"Fair enough."

A student walked by Jordan and accidently bumped into him. Jordan's eyes squinted in pain and he put his hand to his head. This happened three times before he looked up at the two of them.

"What?" he demanded.

"Nothing. You just had that, uh, look yesterday just before Mr. Altman jumped in front of the car. It's almost like you knew he was gonna do something."

"I need some air."

Emmeline watched him walk down the hallway. "There's something different about him. You think he's okay? Do you think…he's a meteor freak?"

"I think that we need to talk to Chloe. Who better than to investigate the new kid?"

* * *

Talking to Chloe had to wait until the next day. Clark and Emmeline were in the Torch office doing some work on the newest issue when Chloe and Pete walked in.

"Clark, we've been looking all over for you," Pete said. He gave a quick peck on Emmeline's lips and put his arm around her shoulders as she laced her fingers through his. "Look who gets to do the honors."

"What's going on?" Clark asked.

"You ready to hear the latest news about Lana's houseguest?" Chloe smiled.

"Actually, no."

Pete furrowed his eyebrows. "'No' as in you're not interested?"

"No. 'No' as in it's none of my business. Lana and I finally reset our relationship to the friendship level. I'm not gonna blow it by getting between her and Adam."

"Wow. Clark's taking one for the team."

"From now on, consider me an Adam-free zone."

Chloe set her purse down. "Okay, now that we can scratch gossip off the discussion list, what's next on the agenda?"

"What have you guys heard about that new kid? Jordan Cross?"

"You mean Mr. 'Pathologically Afraid of Human Contact'?" Pete asked.

"Oh, give the kid a break," Emmeline told him. "This place can be intimidating to a shy person."

"I guess he made quite a first impression," Clark said. "Look, this is gonna sound crazy, but I think he had a premonition about Mr. Altman."

"What made you take that leap?" Chloe asked him.

"Let's call it a gut feeling."

"Well, maybe that's the same thing that Jordan had," Pete said.

"What do you mean?"

"Some people believe that premonitions are just heightened intuition," Chloe explained.

"Yeah, maybe he overheard something or saw a look in Altman's eyes," Pete added.

"Yeah, but still, given your track record with Wall of Weirdness, I think we should look into it."

Clark smiled. "Thanks."

"No thanks required. It's kind of fun being Woodward to your Bernstein again."

"I am so happy that you guys have made up," Emmeline remarked.

* * *

Later that day, Clark was doing research on Jordan, and Emmeline was doing her best to get the latest issue proofread. Chloe soon bounded into the office.

"Chloe, I think I found something," Clark told her.

Chloe took off her jacket and hung it up on the rack. "Yeah? You and me both. I just had a mega 'Real World' moment with Ad…Never mind. Sorry. Anyway, looks like you're hammering away at the Jordan story."

"Yes, I pulled this off the Ledger database." Emmeline got up, and the two girls looked over his shoulder at a newspaper article he had pulled up. "Apparently when Jordan was six, he went ballistic outside of a roller coaster screaming that someone was going to be killed. His dad pulled him away, but when they restarted the ride, one of the cars broke loose."

"Killing the woman standing in line with him," Chloe read.

"Mr. Altman wasn't Jordan's first premonition."

"All right, well, cue the spooky music because Jordan was born on the day of the meteor shower." She handed Clark a file. "I took a quick trip to the courthouse and asked them to pull up anything pertaining to Cross."

Clark opened up the file. "According to this, Jordan's mother died shortly after he was born…as a result of a direct hit from a meteor?"

"As one life ends, another begins."

"Well, that must be the connection."

"Yeah, mix that with the meteor rocks, and you could be entering John Edward territory."

"At least this meteor freak isn't bent on revenge, killing people, or breaking the law," Emmeline put in. "That's a first."

Students in the hallways all started rushing towards the entrance of the school at once.

"This can't be good," Chloe remarked.

There were several voices shouting outside, and Clark and Emmeline looked at one another when they recognized one of them.

"That's Jordan," Clark said.

The three of them rushed outside to find a large group gathered around Jordan and Megan. Megan kept trying to leave, but Jordan blocked her way.

"You don't understand!" Jordan yelled. "I'm trying to help you!"

"Go away!" Megan screamed.

"Megan, stop! Please! I'm just asking you to let me walk you home! You don't understand! It's not what you think!"

"Leave me alone!"

Megan quickly broke through the circle of people and began running away. Clark and Emmeline quickly ran up to a panicked Jordan.

"Jordan, what's going on?" Clark asked.

"I have to help her!"

"Why? Calm down! What's gonna happen to Megan?"

"She's going to die, Clark! Don't you understand? She's going to die."

Clark and Emmeline shared a knowing look. It looked like Jordan had received another premonition.

"Come on," Emmeline said as she looked after Jordan. "We'll get my car and go find him."

When Emmeline looked around, Clark was gone. "Clark?" Emmeline rolled her eyes. "I hate it when he does this…"

Emmeline quickly went back inside the Torch office.

"I need Jordan's address," she told Chloe.

"How come?"

"I just do. And fast."

Chloe furiously typed on her computer and then scrawled something down on a piece of paper.

"Thanks!" Emmeline said as she grabbed her possessions and practically flew out of the office. "I owe you one!"

Emmeline ran to her car and drove to the address Chloe had written down for her. However, she ended up not needing it because she passed by Megan's house and found it flooded with police cars. Clark and Jordan were there as well.

Emmeline pulled up and got out of her car to join them.

"I'm told you got into an argument with Miss Calder today?" Sheriff Adams asked Jordan.

Jordan looked up at Clark with a scared look on his face.

"I was there, Sheriff," Clark said. "It wasn't a big deal."

"I got a missing girl, Mr. Kent. That makes everything a big deal." She looked over at Jordan. "We better talk."

Sheriff Adams pulled Jordan away from Clark and Emmeline to find out what exactly had gone down between them.

"Do you think Megan's okay?" Emmeline asked.

"Judging from what happened this afternoon, probably not."

"What did Jordan see?"

"He said there was a fire and Megan was screaming and she couldn't breathe."

"What an awful way to go. We've gotta find her before this vision becomes a reality. I don't think Jordan would ever be able to forgive himself."

"So you know too?" Jordan asked as he came up to them.

Emmeline blushed a little when she realized he had heard them speaking. "I do. I hope you're not mad at me."

"Why would I be mad?"

"Most people try to keep these kinds of things a secret."

"The fact that you believe me is good enough for me."

A truck pulled up to the house, and Jordan's father got out. "Jordan!" He quickly ran over to his son. "Are you all right?"

"I had another vision. I thought I could help." His father nervously looked over at Clark and Emmeline. "It's okay. Clark and Emmeline know."

"Wait for me in the truck."

"Dad, please."

"Jordan." Jordan walked towards his dad's truck while his father went to go talk to Sheriff Adams. "Excuse me."

"Mr. Cross," Clark said to the man. "Jordan really wants to make a go of it at school. Will you just give him one more chance?"

"I really appreciate all you've done, Clark, but Jordan is…special. If he's at home, at least I can try to protect him." He glanced towards the truck and his eyes widened a little. "Jordan…"

Clark and Emmeline looked towards the truck and saw Jordan's backpack on the hood. Jordan was nowhere in sight.

"Jordan!" his father called. "Jordan!"

* * *

Emmeline walked into the barn to find Clark talking with his dad. "Hi."

"Hello, Emmeline," Jonathon smiled.

"Hi, Mr. Kent."

"How are you doing?"

"Oh, it's just another one of those weird days."

"So I've heard. Can I get you anything to eat?"

"No, but thank you."

"Alright. Well, if you change your mind, you're more than welcome to come inside."

Jonathon smiled at the both of them as he left the barn and headed up to the house.

Emmeline crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm worried about Jordan."

"Yeah, I am too," Clark told her. "But like my dad was saying, he'll come home when he's ready."

"Maybe, but what about Megan?"

Clark sighed. "I don't know." He put his backpack on his shoulder. "Come on, you should eat a little something before you go."

The two of them were about to head to the house when Jordan frantically ran into the barn. There was a large red mark on his face as if he had been hit.

"Clark!" he exclaimed.

"Jordan, what happened to you?" Clark asked.

"I was in the school with Lana when somebody attacked us! I think they took her!"

"Who took her?"

"I don't know, I didn't see him! Clark, I had another vision of Lana."

"What do you mean 'another'?"

"I'm not sure. The other day, she touched my hand on the track. It was okay. She was peaceful, she was old, it was her time."

"What, you're saying that's changed?"

"She was trapped in a fire just like Megan!"

"Okay, okay, calm down. What else did you see?"

"Stuff on the floor. Photos burning. Lana and Megan were in one of them, but they were younger. They were in cheerleading outfits."

Clark quickly took out a newspaper from his backpack and handed it to Jordan. "Is this the girl?"

Jordan looked at the picture of the young girl tearfully. "Mr. Altman's daughter."

"When I saved him, I changed everything. Even what's supposed to happen to Lana. Okay, did you see anything that might tell us where she is?"

"Uh, there was…there was an old sign inside."

"What did it say?"

"It said 'Wandering Hills'."

"I know where that is." Clark quickly began to take off.

"Clark, take me with you."

"No way."

"I've seen the house. Maybe I can help you find it. Please."

"I'm coming too," Emmeline said firmly.

"Em, forget it," Clark said.

"Clark, I am sick and tired of sitting on the sidelines, waiting to hear if everyone is okay. Not this time. Not when I know I can help. We can take my car."

Clark looked at his two friends, knowing there was nothing he could say to change their minds. "First sign of trouble, both of you back off. Let's go."

The three of them ran to Emmeline's car, and she quickly began driving down to Wandering Hills in the hopes that they would find Megan and Lana. She hadn't been driving for long when they came upon an old house that was burning inside.

"Clark, Emmeline, look!" Jordan cried.

Emmeline slammed on the brakes as Clark began getting out of the vehicle.

"The both of you stay in the car," Clark ordered.

"He's got Lana and Megan," Jordan told him. "You're going to need some help!"

"Stay in the car, Jordan!"

Clark quickly ran towards the house. Jordan and Emmeline got out of the car and looked at the burning building. Before Emmeline could do anything to stop him, Jordan ran inside after him.

Not long after, Megan, Lana, and Clark came stumbling out.

Emmeline ran up to them. "Where's Jordan?" she asked frantically.

"I didn't see him come out with us," Lana answered weakly. Clark ran back to the house. "Clark!"

"Run!" he yelled.

"Come on," Emmeline said to them.

She quickly ushered them away from the burning building in case it exploded. Sure enough, not even two minutes later, the building went up in flames.

Emmeline wasn't sure how it was possible, but Clark was on the ground with Jordan, their clothes singed.

The three girls ran over to him.

"Clark!" Lana yelled. "Clark, are you okay?"

"Is he okay?" Megan asked referring to Jordan.

"He's not breathing," Clark answered.

"Jordan!"

Clark began giving Jordan chest compressions. "Come on, Jordan. You can't die on me."

To Emmeline's relief, Jordan coughed heavily and sat up taking in gulps of air. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so glad you're all right," she smiled.

Jordan flinched, but then he looked at her questioningly.

"You're gonna be okay," Clark said to him.

* * *

"Jordan!" Emmeline called at school. She gave him a light hug. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm…better than ever. Ever since the fire, I haven't had any more visions."

"Really? That explains why you gave me that look when I hugged you the other day."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. My boyfriend isn't happy I put myself in danger like that, but I'm sure he'll get over it eventually."

Jordan smiled. "Thanks for being so nice to me. I know I didn't really make the best first impression."

"Believe me, I was much worse than you. I refused to talk to anyone above a level two and, I didn't even look at anyone. That's why I wanted to meet you. I know how scary a place like this can be when you don't really want to be around people."

"You can understand me more than anyone else I've ever met."

"It's a gift."

"I'll see you around…Em."

Emmeline smiled at the use of her nickname. "Bye."

A pair of arms snaked around her waist as familiar lips kissed her cheek. "You've gotten friendly with the newbie."

Emmeline smiled. "It's nice to be able to help someone who's shy feel more comfortable."

"Yeah. I can understand that feeling."

Emmeline turned to Pete with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The two of them shared a warm kiss. Emmeline wouldn't trade this moment for anything.


	57. Velocity

Emmeline was furious with her boyfriend once she found out his little secret.

He had decided to get into street-racing using cars boosted with meteor rock. He had recently brought her to one of his races. As great as it was to see him so happy, she did not like him dabbling in something super dangerous and completely illegal.

She was extremely uncomfortable at the races. Everyone there was the complete opposite of how she was. They were all loud and raucous and liked to wear skimpy, tight clothing.

She tried to explain to him that it wasn't a good idea to get involved with these people, but she didn't want to sound like a pushy girlfriend who wouldn't let him do what he wanted.

All the same, if he kept doing this, he was going to get himself killed.

Pete came up to her and kissed her outside of the Talon. "What's wrong?" he asked when he noticed her expression.

"It's…the racing."

"Oh, great, am I going to get a lecture from you and Clark?"

"Look, Pete, I just don't want to lose you. I love seeing you so excited when you win, but…if you die, it's not going to be worth it."

"Em, I'm good at racing. I've never had people cheering my name before. It's an incredible feeling. When I'm racing, I feel like I'm on top of the world. And that nothing can bring me down."

Emmeline frowned a little. He used to talk about her that way. "I'm sure that's a wonderful feeling. But again, it's not going to matter if you end up dying."

"Don't worry about me. I'm one of the best racers out there. You're gonna come to tonight's race, aren't you? I need my girlfriend there supporting me."

Emmeline sighed. She'd rather be there in case something happened than hear about it in the paper the next day. "Yeah, I'll be there."

"Great! I'll pick you up at 9:00."

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and headed back to Dante's garage.

* * *

That night, Pete came and picked Emmeline up in one of Dante's cars. Needless to say, her parents watched her leave the house skeptically. They didn't have a problem with Pete at all, in fact they loved him and enjoyed his company, but it struck them as odd that he showed up in a car like that.

Emmeline was unusually quiet on the car ride to the race. Pete noticed, but he didn't say anything about it. Once he won tonight, he was sure that she'd be singing his praises along with everyone else.

Pete parked his car, and he and Emmeline stepped out to a whole throng of excited race fans.

"I'll see you when I win," Pete smiled.

He kissed Emmeline before going over to his car he used for racing.

"How you feeling, Boss?" Dante asked excitedly as Pete got in the car.

"Like I'm about to own the road!

"All right!"

Emmeline watched as Dante leaned down to Pete's window and they had some kind of private conversation. From the look on Pete's face, Dante hadn't said anything good.

A woman came up to Pete and tried to kiss him, but he didn't let her. So she settled for kissing him on the cheek.

Emmeline wasn't the jealous type, and she didn't doubt Pete's feelings for her for a moment. But that didn't mean she liked watching other girls hug and kiss him.

The woman went in front of the two racing cars and pulled out a yellow scarf. With an overly sexy flair, she brought her arm down and the two cars jetted off from the starting line.

Pete was behind for a couple miles which surprised Emmeline. He hadn't lost a race yet and he had been so excited for tonight. However, after only a few more seconds, green sparks appeared in the exhaust pipe, and Pete's car sped forward. He passed his opponent easily and finished first.

"Come here, Em!" he called as he got out of the car.

Reluctantly, Emmeline went over to him. There were way too many people around her and she felt very small and insignificant. Pete putting his arm around her didn't help one bit. Didn't he know that she hated places like this? Didn't he know that she wasn't happy?

"Congratulations, Boss," Dante said, pushing Pete and Emmeline to the side.

"Thank you," Pete smiled. "Hey, Dante, look, about that whole cheating thing…it's like I didn't have it in me."

Dante had wanted him to cheat? She knew this guy was shady.

"Yeah, it isn't in you?" Dante roughly pushed Pete which made him lose his hold on Emmeline. "What do you think this is? Some little backyard game of Hot Wheels? I'm out $20,000 dollars because of you."

Pete's eyes widened a little. "Sorry."

"Sorry's not gonna cut it. So you're gonna give me the keys to my car, you're gonna pay me my 20 G's, and I never want to see your face again."

Pete looked around and saw that he and Emmeline were surrounded by Dante's thugs who towered over them by a couple feet. "Dante, where am I gonna get $20,000 dollars?"

"Oh, you're gonna figure it out. 'Cause if you don't…the only car you're gonna be driving in is a hearse." Dante looked over at Emmeline. "And if that happens, then that means she'll be up for the taking."

He roughly pulled the girl into his arms. Emmeline squealed helplessly and looked at Pete with fear in her eyes. She tried to get out of Dante's hold, but he was too strong for her. It didn't help that she was practically paralyzed.

"Get me my money," he ordered before pushing Emmeline back to him.

Pete quickly caught her and held her protectively away from Dante.

Dante and his friends walked away from him.

"Em…"

"I want to go home," Emmeline said firmly.

"Alright. Let's go."

The ride back was even more awkward than the ride there. Emmeline didn't say a word, and Pete didn't know what to say either. How was he possibly supposed to find the money to pay Dante back? If he didn't, he had no doubt Dante would kill him, and then who knew what he was going to do to Emmeline?

Once they pulled up, Emmeline quickly opened the door.

"Let me walk you in," Pete insisted.

"No, I'm fine, thanks."

He sighed as he watched her walk up to the house. He had really screwed up.

* * *

The next day at the Torch office, Chloe and Emmeline were hard at work when Clark waltzed in with some VIN numbers allegedly from Dante's garage.

"So you think Dante is more grand theft auto than Indy 500, huh?" Chloe asked as she began to do some research on her computer.

"Why else would he have a personal collection of license plates with brand new registrations that match?" Clark told her.

"Journalistic obsessions aside, it almost seems like you have kind of a vested interest in this story."

"You know how it is, Chloe. Once you get started on a really good story, you can't stop until you get to the bottom."

Chloe took a deep breath and looked over at Clark. "I just chatted with the motor heads up in auto shop. Your source wouldn't happen to be Pete 'The Boss' Ross, would it?" Clark and Emmeline shared a guilty look. "I understand protecting your source. But we're talking about a friend of mine who's putting his life at risk every time he goes for the checkered flag."

"Pete asked me to keep it a secret. I'm keeping my word."

"Yeah, but Clark, you of all people should know that when your friend is doing something reckless, sometimes keeping a secret hurts more than it helps. He needs a friend. Now, Pete might listen to me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's called sibling rivalry. You and Pete are practically brothers. Now, from what I've heard, sometimes it's difficult to take advice from your sibling." She looked over at Emmeline. "And you two are dating, and as far as I'm concerned, you're still in the honeymoon phase of your relationship. Neither one of you are willing to hurt the other."

Clark and Emmeline shared another look. As much as they hated it, Chloe had a point. Pete wasn't really listening to either of them about his newest hobby.

Chloe went back to typing on her computer. "Whoa. You were right about Jason Dante. He could be the poster boy for LoJack. All the VIN numbers you took down are for stolen cars."

"It's all the evidence we need. I'm gonna go talk to the sheriff."

Clark quickly left the office to go put a stop to Dante and save Pete.

Emmeline looked at Chloe. "What kind of girlfriend am I? I'm not even sticking up for the guy I love."

"I know you tried," Chloe responded. "I think Pete unknowingly took advantage of your shy demeanor. He knew you wouldn't be able to stop him from doing this. I don't think he meant to, but it happened."

"Well, let's just hope he listens to you. Because things are certainly not looking good for him right now."

* * *

The doorbell rang at Emmeline's house and she quickly went to go answer it. When she opened the door, her eyes widened at the sight of Pete cut up and bloodied. She put a hand to her mouth.

"What happened to you?" she asked quietly.

"Dante…"

Emmeline's eyes watered a little. "I told you not to get involved with them."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Come in. Let me get you cleaned up."

Pete slowly took a seat on her couch in the living room while Emmeline went to grab some alcohol and bandages.

"Is anything broken?" she asked as she came back.

"No. I would know by now."

She sat next to him and poured some alcohol on a piece of gauze. He winced as she gently pressed it to his wounds.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Clark called the cops, and Dante thought it was me. He sent some of his guys to teach me a lesson. And it doesn't even matter because Dante has paid off one of the cops so he could wipe the place down before everyone got there."

"Pete…what are you going to do about this?"

"I don't know. I've asked Clark for help, but he's not doing anything."

"What do you expect him to do?"

"You know that Clark can do anything when it comes to helping people. But he won't do it this time."

"Again, what do you want him to do? Just pay off this guy? With what money? And if you give him money this time, he'll keep asking for more. What do you want to do then?"

Pete refused to meet her eyes. "I don't know…I'm so sorry I got you involved in all of this."

Emmeline didn't say anything back. She just continued to clean his cuts, too angry at him to offer any encouragement. What could she even say to him? She had no idea how he was going to get out of this.

* * *

Emmeline hadn't answered any of Pete's texts or calls all day. She believed he was sincerely sorry, but that didn't mean that she was ready to just put everything in the past.

Her doorbell rang, and she had a pretty good idea of who it was. Sure enough, when she opened it, Pete was standing there.

"Hey," he said awkwardly.

Emmeline looked at him hardly. "I heard Dante was killed in a car crash."

"Yeah."

"I guess that means your debt's gone."

"I didn't want this to happen, Em. Look, I said I'm sorry. I know that this was all a mistake."

"You don't understand! It wasn't about the racing. I mean, I didn't like you doing it, but…it was more than that. It was the way you talked about it. As if it was the best thing to ever happen in your entire life. As petty as it may sound, you used to talk about me that way. I felt like I just dropped a rung on your priority list."

"That's not true."

"Then why did you insist I come to those races? You know perfectly well that I am very, very uncomfortable in those kinds of places. I want nothing more than to support you doing things you love, but I was surrounded by people who are not like me. You know firsthand that it is very hard to get me to open up. And I have opened up completely to you. But it took over two years. I may have changed a lot from when you first met me, but that doesn't mean I'm totally different. You were only thinking about how you felt in that moment. You didn't even give me a second thought."

"Em, why didn't you say anything before?"

"What was I supposed to do? Whenever I talked about racing, you stopped listening to me so you could just talk about how awesome it was. Pete, I have been your friend for two years, your girlfriend for several months now. I started dating you, and I told you that I love you. Why wasn't that enough for you?"


	58. Obsession

Emmeline had been on a field trip to LuthorCorp before. It hadn't gone well. So she was not happy to be going on another one two years later, especially when Lionel Luthor was such a threatening figure in her and Chloe's life now. At least she had Clark and Chloe with her.

"Ah, Advanced Economics, Smallville's best and brightest," Lionel greeted the students. "Welcome to LuthorCorp."

The three friends shared an uneasy look, still angry with the man after all he had put them through in the past several months.

"Now, you're all here to learn something about business. The most important element in anything to do with economic theory is the individual. Yes, you." He pointed at one of their excited classmates as Chloe rolled her eyes. "Traditional rules, supply and demand, they're secondary. But to rise above those rules, to know when to break them, requires absolute personal commitment. I consider it a prerequisite for success."

The class members applauded, but the three friends did not join in.

"And I consider it despicable, immoral, and possibly illegal," Chloe said to them.

"I'm sorry, do you have a question?" Lionel asked Chloe. Chloe looked over at him and quickly lowered her eyes in embarrassment. "No. Anybody else? No? All right, then I'll hand you back over to Mr. Simms."

"All right, group," the tour guide said with a smile. "Follow me."

As he led the group to the elevators, Lionel approached the trio. "Miss Sullivan. Miss Brooks. Mr. Kent. Well, it's nice to see you both looking to the future."

Emmeline felt her heartbeat pick up a little in the presence of the man who had the power to ruin their lives with a snap of his fingers. Knowing that he was capable of doing whatever he wanted to her and could easily get away with it scared her more than public speaking.

Lionel walked away from the three of them. They all started heading to join the others in the elevator.

"What do you say we make a break for the fire escape?" Chloe asked dryly.

"I could crawl down all 39 stories if this field trip didn't count toward our final grade," Clark lamented.

"Welcome to the Lionel Luthor exhibit. Next floor: Victims, sycophants, and hatchet men."

"How about I split up this jaded little fan club?" their teacher said as Chloe and Emmeline stepped into the elevator. "Mr. Kent, take the next car."

Chloe waved to Clark as the elevator doors closed.

Emmeline felt rather uncomfortable in the small and cramped elevator with too many of her fellow classmates. She did what Chloe had taught her and took some deep breaths. In through the nose and out through the mouth. She hadn't had to use these kinds of exercises in a while, but they certainly came in handy when she did need them.

When they all stepped out of the elevator, LuthorCorp workers were scrambling all over the place, yelling about a malfunctioning elevator.

Wait a minute…wasn't Clark on the elevator…?

The class rushed down the building where they saw Clark and another girl unharmed.

"Are you two all right?" their teacher asked near tears.

"Yeah. Yeah, yeah, we're okay. Um, the elevator crashed just as we got out of the doors. It sounded like the cable broke."

"How did that happen?" Chloe asked frantically.

"I-I don't know, Chloe."

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

Emmeline noticed Clark share a look with one of their classmates, Alicia Baker. She had a feeling that there was more to the story than Clark was telling. But then again, that was usually the case with him.

* * *

Emmeline groaned as she walked into the Torch office.

"Someone's been burning the candle at both ends," Chloe remarked upon seeing her exhausted friend.

"I had to spend all day in court yesterday to deal with this whole custody case."

"Yuck. And I thought sitting here trying to pump out the next issue was bad."

"It was so boring, and Hannah didn't even look at me once. She knows how upset I am about this whole thing, but she is convinced that I'll be happier if I move to New York with her. I just wish she would take the time to understand how I really feel."

"Why don't you tell her about this?"

"I have. Over and over and over again. But she won't listen to me because she believes that because she's my biological mother, she knows what's best. But she isn't my mom. My mom is the woman who raised me from birth and knows me better than anyone else in the world and will do anything to make me smile. We may not be related by blood, but Audrey Brooks is my true mother."

"Have you talked about this with Pete?"

"…Pete and I haven't really talked much in the past few days. We're in a bit of a rut ever since the whole racing incident."

"Ah, yes. Well, take it from me, don't let that one situation completely wreck your whole relationship. He's told me that he's really sorry for what he put you through, and he truly does want to make amends."

"I believe that. I don't know…I guess…part of me is afraid that something else will happen that will start this whole mess over again."

"There probably will be something like that. But true relationships take work. It's not always all about the lovey-dovey _The Notebook_ side of things. There's also the moments where you're both angry and need to work through problems. In the end, the relationship will only grow stronger because of it."

"Since when did you become such an expert on love?"

"You know I'm right."

"Yeah…" Emmeline admitted.

"Now that that's out of the way, have you heard about Clark and his new girlfriend?"

"Wait, _what_?"

"Do you know Alicia Baker?"

"She's in our Econ class, right?"

"Yeah. Last night, Clark's dad caught him in a serious make-out session with her in his bedroom."

"How did you hear about this?"

"I guess Alicia couldn't keep her mouth shut because basically everyone in the school knows by now."

"…How are you taking this news?"

Chloe's face reddened a bit. "Well…I mean…he's my friend, so it's not like I can say much."

"Oh, stop. You're jealous, and I know you are."

"Okay, maybe I'm a _little_ jealous. I just don't understand how they got to that level so fast! He's talked to her for, like, two days and already they're making out? What's her secret?"

"If we knew the answer to that, we probably could've dated him two years ago."

"You're one to talk. You already have a boyfriend."

"Yes, and it's no less complicated than dating Clark would be."

After working on the Torch for a while, Emmeline headed out into the hallway to head to her next class.

"Hey, Clark!" she called as she walked over to her friend.

"Oh, hi, Em," Clark answered with no smile.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh, it's nothing."

"Does it have to do with Alicia?"

"Uh…sort of."

"What's going on? I won't judge, I promise."

"She's just…going so fast. She somehow managed to put these, um, pictures in my locker and you probably heard about what happened last night…"

"Well, if she's making you uncomfortable, you have to let her know."

"I'm trying, but she's so persistent. I feel like I can barely get a word in."

"Clark, no one wants to be uncomfortable in a relationship, believe me. The only way to deal with this is getting your feelings out in the open and work through them with each other."

"Like you're doing with Pete?"

"Don't avoid the subject. And for your information, I've shared with him how I felt and now we're both just dealing with that. Talk to her, and let her know how you feel. I'm sure she'll understand. And if she doesn't, then maybe she's just not the right girl for you. I don't doubt that you share a certain kind of connection with her, but a relationship is built on more than just a connection made in a day. A good relationship is built on understanding, respect, and knowing what the other person wants. If Alicia doesn't give that to you, then she probably just needs to mature a little bit before pursuing a relationship with you or any relationship for that matter."

"You know, I never thought I'd be coming to you for relationship advice."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Clark's cheeks turned a light scarlet. "Oh! Uh…I didn't mean…You know…"

Emmeline laughed. "Relax. I never thought I'd be the one _giving_ relationship advice."

* * *

Things took a turn for the worse when Alicia's relationship with Clark quickly turned into an unhealthy obsession. In fact, she was now threatening to hurt people close to Clark if he didn't remain with her.

Clark came into the Torch office and revealed that Alicia actually had the ability to teleport.

That certainly explained the whole elevator incident…

"I'm really sorry she went all Glenn Close on you," Chloe said.

"I should have told you both about Alicia's ability before. But she'd asked me to keep it a secret."

"Yeah, and we respect you for keeping her confidence. But once she went psycho, all bets are off."

"So how do you look for someone who can disappear in the blink of an eye whenever she wants?"

Chloe's brow furrowed in thought. "Well, we know that Alicia has at least one weakness. You."

Clark's eyes lit up a little when a thought hit him. "She may have one more. Chloe, I have an idea. I'm gonna need your help."

"What about me?" Emmeline asked.

"I want you to sit this one out."

"How come?"

"Remember that, uh, advice you gave me? Alicia overheard our conversation, so she's not too happy with you at the moment."

"Oh, perfect. Alright, then I'll just go meet up with Lana at the Talon and help her lock up for the night or something. I know she's a little frazzled with Adam, so maybe I could be of some comfort. I have to be doing something."

"That's good. I'll let you know when everything's taken care of."

"Okay. Be careful."

Emmeline headed over to the Talon while Clark and Chloe took care of Alicia.

"Lana?" Emmeline called as she walked up to the counter.

"Hey, Em! What are you doing here?"

"Clark and Chloe are busy, so I thought I'd come here and help you lock up tonight."

"You're so sweet! I appreciate the company. I'm swamped right now, but once the rush passes, I'll have more time to talk."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll just sit and do homework. I have plenty of it."

Time passed quicker than Emmeline wanted to admit since she wasn't as productive as she should've been.

Lana came to the table and brought her a vanilla bean frappucino.

Emmeline sighed in happiness. "You're the best."

Lana laughed lightly. "I, uh, I heard that your biological mother has been giving you a hard time."

"Oh, you mean the custody case? As if high school wasn't stressful enough, I now have this on my shoulders."

"It'll all work out. I know you."

"I hope you're right."

"I'm going to take out the trash and then I just need to lock up everything, then we'll be good. Could you turn off the cappuccino machine?"

"Sure thing!"

After completing her small task, Emmeline took a sip of her frappucino and patiently waited for Lana to return.

Suddenly, her black-haired friend frantically came running back inside.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Emmeline asked as she stood up.

Lana didn't answer as she kept running through the coffee shop. She let out a gasp and Emmeline saw Alicia standing right in front of her, a large butcher knife in her hand.

"Oh, crap…"

"Tell me, Lana," Alicia said lowly as she raised the knife to Lana's neck. "What's your secret? You're not prettier than I am." She knocked over a small table between them. "And you're definitely not smarter. And you certainly don't have my abilities."

"Alicia, there is nothing going on between me and Clark," Lana forced out.

Lana pushed Alicia away and turned to run, but the teleporting girl was there before she could even make it an inch.

"Oh, yes, there is because Clark is still in love with you." She grabbed Lana's head and held the knife against her neck. "And now it's my turn."

"Alicia, don't do this!" Emmeline cried.

Alicia glared daggers at her. "You. You tried to keep us apart. Are you in love with him too?"

"Excuse me? I have a boyfriend. And I'll have you know I'm very happy with him. He may be an idiot sometimes, but that doesn't matter because I love him anyway. We let our relationship take time so we trust each other and care about one another."

"I don't need time to tell me that Clark and I are perfect for each other. He told me the truth about himself. The things that he wouldn't tell either of you!"

Alicia rammed Lana into the pillar next to the stairs causing Lana to collapse.

With no other option, Emmeline ran up to Alicia and jumped onto her back in a vicious tackle that didn't fit her personality.

However, Emmeline then fell onto the ground when Alicia disappeared from under her. When she turned around, Alicia's fist smacked her hard in the face and Emmeline went sprawling to the ground.

"Once I'm done with you, I'll take care of Lana," Alicia growled. "Now neither of you will ever know the truth."

Alicia raised the knife above her head and prepared to stab Emmeline.

"Alicia!"

Alicia turned to find Clark at the entrance to the Talon. Emmeline watched him fling what looked like a can of paint towards Alicia. She quickly turned to shield herself from the flying bucket.

There was a loud splash and Emmeline looked up again to find Alicia covered from head to foot in lead paint. She tried to teleport, but the air around her flickered green. She wasn't going anywhere.

That must've been the weakness Clark had talked about earlier.

Alicia screamed in anguish as Clark ran over to Lana. He helped her sit up and then held her close to him.

"Why, Clark?" Alicia cried. "Why?"

* * *

"Pete," Emmeline said as she approached her boyfriend after school.

"Hey, Em."

"I know we haven't been on the best of terms lately, but I need to tell you something."

"Okay," he said hesitantly.

"Last night, when Alicia almost killed me, all I could keep thinking about was you. And how that if I died, I was going to die with you thinking I was mad at you. I'm not mad, Pete. I was upset, but I'm not going to let that ruin our whole relationship. I love you too much to let that happen. I couldn't happier that we have what we have. I'm thankful that you're in my life and that you care about me so much."

Pete smiled fondly at her. "I'm so sorry for everything."

"I know. And I forgive you."

Pete gently took her face in his hands and pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. They parted and smiled only for a moment before kissing again.


	59. Resurrection

Emmeline knocked on the door of the Kent house late at night. Clark was the one to answer it.

"Hey," she smiled. "I heard about what was happening to your dad. I thought you could use a friend." It was then she noticed one of their classmates, Garrett, in the living room. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had company."

"Oh, Garrett's just staying with us for right now," Clark answered. He looked towards Garrett. "But if you want to be alone—"

"No," Garrett interrupted. "No, I really don't."

Emmeline slowly stepped inside. Garrett took a seat on the couch and she sat next to him while Clark took the seat across from them.

"It's kind of ironic," their classmate continued. "My brother worked in demolition. He risked his life every day with explosives and we lose him to liver disease."

That must've been why he was staying at the Kents. It was just until he found a more permanent place to stay after he lost his brother. They had done something similar with Ryan. Her heart panged for a moment as she recalled the young boy she and Clark had grown so close to.

She remembered how torn up she had been when he had died. It had been one of the worst experiences of her life and they had only known each other for about a year. Garrett had to be feeling ten times worse than she ever had.

"If he had just gotten that transplant, he'd still be…" Garrett faltered for a moment and looked at Clark sadly. "Your dad's about to have surgery. You don't need to hear this."

"No, Garrett, it helps to talk about it," Clark told him. "You listened to me that time in the hospital. And Em is probably the best listener I know."

"Part of me feels like Vince isn't really gone. That it's all just some big misunderstanding."

"Garrett, if there's anyone that needs to be told, I can help, make some phone calls…"

"No, it was just us." He chuckled mirthlessly. "He used to call me 'runt' as long as I could remember. I always hated it. Now I'd give anything to hear him say it again."

They all looked up as Martha came into the room. "Garrett? I just got a call from the crematorium. They want to know where they should send your brother's ashes."

"Ashes? What are they talking about? He's supposed to be buried next to my mom and dad."

The four of them exchanged a confused glance. Wasting no time, the three teenagers went to the morgue at Garrett's insistence.

"Doctor, why would you have him cremated?" Clark asked the medical examiner in the morgue. "It's not what he asked for."

"We didn't send him," the woman answered. "Metropolis General did. He was helicoptered there for an organ donation." She handed a file over to Garrett.

Garrett angrily took the file and looked through it. "Then it couldn't be the same Vincent Davis."

"It's what the paperwork says. All the documents are signed, including your brother's autograph on that cremation form."

"No."

"Look, maybe you didn't know him as well as you thought you did."

Garrett slammed the file down on the medical table. "What are you talking about?!"

"Garrett, calm down," Clark said.

"How am I supposed to be calm when my brother's been carved up and burnt to a crisp?"

"Look, son, I know this is difficult, but—" the medical examiner started.

"You don't know anything!"

Clark looked at the woman apologetically as Garrett stormed to the other side of the room. "I'm sorry." He walked over his friend. "Garrett, I know this is hard. Maybe Vince just didn't tell you."

"My brother's told me everything since the day my parents died. Those documents have to be forged." He angrily left the morgue in a huff.

Emmeline sighed. "He's just grieving. I can understand why he's so upset."

They all returned back to the Kent farm and went inside the barn.

"I'm sorry I lost it," Garrett apologized, level-headed once again. "I guess I kind of have a short fuse."

"You have every reason to be upset, Garrett," Clark answered.

"He's right," Emmeline added. "You only just lost your brother and you're still grieving. It's perfectly natural for you to feel this way."

"The thing is, it just doesn't make any sense," the boy murmured.

The door to the barn opened and they all turned to find a young man in a dirty white shirt looking rather haggard.

"Vince?"

Emmeline's widened eyes looked at Clark. If the whole night was any indication, Vince should not be up and walking around.

Vince smiled as he came into the barn. "It's me, runt."

Garrett ran up to his brother and hugged him tightly. "Vince?! I can't believe it!"

Clark walked up to the pair of brothers. "Wait, I don't understand. We both saw you. You were pronounced dead."

"I guess they were wrong," Vince told him.

"Well, there's got to be an explanation."

"All I know is when I woke up, I was in a lab and this woman doctor with a needle the size of Kansas was standing over me." The young man looked over at his brother. "Come on, runt. We have to get out of here."

"Wait, we should get you to a doctor."

"No more doctors or labs. Garrett and I have to fall off the radar."

"Why? Who's after you?"

"I don't know, but…"

"Will you tell me where the lab is?"

Vince began blinking furiously and his face contorted with pain. He stumbled around a little bit and had a difficult time getting words out. "Uh…it's, uh, it's somewhere in Metropolis."

"Are you okay?"

"Garrett, let's roll."

"Vince?" Garrett said worriedly. Vince's right eye began to drip blood. "Your eyes. They're bleeding."

More blood dripped from both eyes and he held his stomach as he fell to the ground convulsing. Emmeline and Clark quickly rushed over to him

"Vince?" Garrett panicked. "Vince?! What's happening to him?! Vince! No!" Emmeline watched in horror as he face quickly began to turn a sickly yellow color. "Clark! Emmeline! You have to help him, please!"

All of them rushed Vince to the hospital and met with his doctor, Dr. Yeager, as they assigned him to another hospital room.

"No, I-I don't know how to explain it," the doctor said. "This man was dead yesterday."

"He said he was revived at a lab in Metropolis," Clark explained.

"Well, whatever they did, it was short term. I'm afraid he's not gonna be able to last much longer. His liver is rapidly deteriorating."

"Dr. Yeager," Garrett pleaded. "Just call the lab and tell them to give him more of whatever he got."

"I have no idea what lab you're talking about."

"Don't hold out on me. I'm not gonna stand here while my brother dies again."

"Look, I've never had a patient come back to life before. I'm just as confounded as you are. But I promise you, we're doing everything we can to keep your brother alive."

The doctor went into Vince's room to try and do something for the dying man.

Garrett looked through the window of the room. "I'm not sure coming back here was such a great idea."

"There's no other place to take him, Garrett," Clark said. "At least here they can stabilize him."

"I can't lose him twice, Clark."

Emmeline looked at him sympathetically, not even remotely able to understand what it was like to watch the person you loved most die twice.

* * *

Emmeline returned home to grab some food before returning to the hospital. Not only for Garrett's sake, but for Martha's as well. She could only imagine how worried she was about Jonathon's surgery, especially since it wasn't a given.

"Pete?" she called when she got to the entrance. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm assuming the same as you. Here for Mr. and Mrs. Kent."

"Yeah. I know she's really nervous and could use the support from all of us."

Pete put his arm around her shoulders as they walked inside to the waiting room.

Martha smiled at the sight of them. "Pete. Emmeline."

Pete and Emmeline smiled as they hugged her. "I wasn't sure if you guys wanted your space, but at the end of the day, I thought I should be here," Pete said.

"Oh, I'm so glad you both came."

"Where's Clark?"

"He'll be right back."

"Oh."

"Dr. Yeager!" Emmeline heard Garrett yell from around the hall. "Where is Dr. Yeager?! I want to speak to Dr. Yeager!"

"Just what do you think you're doing?" the doctor demanded.

"My brother needs a liver."

Garrett opened his jacket to reveal that he had a glowing green bomb strapped to his chest. Emmeline gasped and clutched onto Pete. This boy had just taken desperation to a whole new level.

"So I figure now you'll get him one," Garrett said as he held up the detonator.

Martha approached him slowly. "Garrett, this isn't gonna solve anything."

"Don't come any closer." He looked over at the doctor. "If you want anyone to leave this building with their limbs attached, you better make sure my brother gets that transplant."

Everyone in the hospital not in rooms was forced to sit in the waiting area as hostages until Vince got a liver.

Emmeline slowly went over to Garrett, her hands in front of her.

"Em, what are you doing?" Pete demanded.

"Garrett," she said cautiously. "I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now. But I had a friend once named Ryan. He had a tumor in his brain and there wasn't anything they could do. Instead of having me and Clark search for doctors who could cure him, Ryan told us that he just wanted to spend his final moments with us. I know I don't really know Vince, but from what you've said about him, I think he'd say the same thing."

"I'm sorry about your friend," Garrett said coldly. "But a tumor is different. All Vince needs is a new liver and he'll be fine."

Martha came up next to Emmeline.

"Mrs. Kent, you're a nice lady. I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't do this, Garrett. It's not what your brother would want."

"I know exactly what my brother wanted. A transplant and to see me graduate high school, and I'm gonna make sure he gets both of those, even if I have to be locked up when I get that diploma." The phone at the nurse's station started ringing. Garrett walked over to it and answered it. "Yeah?" There was a pause before he asked, "Why should I trust you?" Another pause. "Okay. Come in, but just you…It's Clark or no one!" Garrett waited a bit before hanging up the phone. He stared at it for a moment before looking at his hostages. "Get out. Everyone get out! Now!"

"Garrett, please," Martha begged. "My husband is still in here. I can't leave without him."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Kent. But this is the only way. Now get out!"

Emmeline gently took Martha's arm and they all left the hospital.

"Clark!" Emmeline called when she saw him approaching the entrance. "Whatever you do, please be careful."

"I will, Em. Now get out of here."

* * *

That night, Clark came over to Emmeline's house and knocked on her door.

"Hey," Emmeline answered as she came out to join him on the porch. "I've been following what happened on the news. I saw that a sniper got Garrett."

Clark looked down at the ground. "Yeah…"

"It's not your fault, Clark. I don't think Garrett's a bad guy, but losing someone twice is a lot to deal with. He just couldn't handle it. And as a result, he put a lot of lives in jeopardy. As much as I hate it, they did what had to be done."

"I wish I could've done something for him."

"I do too. I tried to tell him about Ryan, but…it didn't help. I don't think anything was going to help at that point except Vince surviving. Things like this just remind me that…we don't always get happy endings."

"I'm sorry I dragged you into all this."

"It's okay. Why don't you go and try to get some sleep? I think you could use it."

* * *

Emmeline was doing homework on one of the tables at the Talon when someone sat across from her. She looked up and was surprised at who she saw.

"Hannah."

"Hi, Emmeline."

"What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to talk. I know we haven't done that much lately."

"Because you don't want to hear what I have to say. At least not anything about the custody case. Why are you even doing this? I'm almost 18 and can legally move back here if I want."

"I know. I guess I'm hoping that you'll come to enjoy living with me by then."

"It's not that simple."

"I saw what happened at the hospital. I thought that would make you see things differently."

"There's more to the story than what was on the news. And honestly, dangerous things happen in New York too. There's going to be threats everywhere. But I'd rather deal with them here with people I care about. People who I know can protect me."

"You mean Clark?"

"…Yeah. I don't know how he does it, but I know that I can always count on him to be there when I really need him. And the same goes for Pete. I love him. I don't want to lose him now. And I don't think I could handle a long-distance relationship. You're asking me to up and leave everyone I know, including my own family."

"That's not true. They can all still visit you in New York."

"It's not the same. I prefer being in a small town. It's what I'm used to. Please don't make me do this."

Hannah sighed. "I'm just looking out for you. In time, you'll see that this was the best thing for you."

Emmeline sighed as her biological mother left the table.

This wasn't fair.


	60. Crisis

When Clark burst into the Talon late last night claiming Lana had called him in a panic, none of the girls studying for their history exam believed him.

However, since the call had been made to the Teen Crisis Hotline where he and Pete had been volunteering, the call had been recorded. Sure enough, Lana's voice came across the recording. After a gunshot, the call ended. Sheriff Adams had taken some notes of the situation, trying to figure out why she had been called last night when no one was in danger, but she just passed it all off as a prank though she did promise to take a look at it when she had the time.

Everyone gathered in the Torch office, and Chloe uploaded the recording from the tape recorder onto her computer and put it in one of her sound programs.

She listened through one side of her headphones, attempting to make sense of the call. "This connection's bad. We're missing pieces of the conversation. But the background noise is constant throughout. This recording wasn't piecemealed together." She unplugged her headphones and adjusted some of the levels in the program. "Here, I'll play it again with the static as low as I can get it."

The recording played again, and they all listened as soft tapping occurred throughout the whole thing.

"That sounds like rain," Lana remarked.

"We haven't had a storm in months," Clark said.

"Clark, it's happening!" Lana cried from the computer.

"Why would I say that?" the girl asked.

"It's almost like you were expecting something," Clark answered.

They looked back at the screen as the recording continued. "Clark! Please help me!"

"Hey, Chloe, can I…?" Clark started.

Chloe hopped up from her seat. "Yeah."

"I think I heard something."

Clark highlighted a small portion of the audio and then adjusted some of the levels in the program so that they could hear something in the background.

"You lied to me!" a man's voice shouted.

"That's Adam," Lana said shakily. "But I haven't spoken to him since he left."

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows. "Clark, how did you hear that?"

Clark hesitated for a moment before quickly answering, "I guess I missed too many Linkin Park concerts." He adjusted more levels in the program. "Look, there's someone else here."

He played the recording again and they could hear an announcer yell, "That makes the score 61 to 60 Vipers! Gunnerson now needs to miss the second shot to keep the Vipers home for an undefeated season—"

"Gunnerson?" Chloe asked in surprise. "He was benched in the preseason. This-this has got to be a recording of an old game."

"No, that can't be," Clark told her as he rolled around to look at the other computer in the office. "This is the first year the Vipers have been undefeated." He pulled up the Sports page online. "They're not even scheduled to play the Metros until tonight." He then pulled up the latest weather report. "And according to the weather service, a storm's on the way."

"Well, if none of this has happened yet, maybe the phone call hasn't either."

Lana looked at her skeptically. "You're saying the call came from the future?"

"It wouldn't be the strangest thing we've ever come across," Emmeline added. "Do you think it's possible?"

No one answered her, afraid that if the call really did come from the future, Lana was going to be in serious trouble in a few hours.

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline worked in the Talon for a few hours, trying to track down any kind of evidence that would help them figure out what was going on with the call Clark had received.

"I have to be in court tomorrow and I have to spend my time worrying about this," Emmeline groaned. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mind doing anything to help Lana, but I really wish I didn't have to worry about this custody case in the middle of it."

"Have you spoken with Hannah recently?" Chloe asked.

"She came to see me a couple days ago at the Talon, but we didn't get anywhere. She truly believes that moving to New York is what's best for me. And Chloe…I think she might win this."

Chloe went back to her computer, not wanting to think about what her life would be like if Emmeline was forced to move to New York for the next year. Who would be there to listen to her rant about Clark? Who would she go to when everyone else let her down? Who would be her shoulder to cry on and let her watch chick flicks and eat chocolate when she had a bad day?

"Hey," Chloe said a couple hours later. "I managed to track down the call the phone was made from. I've called Clark and told him we're going to meet him at the Talon. Are you about finished with your work?"

"Yeah," Emmeline said as she shut off the computer. "I tried to listen to that recording a bit more and see if I could pull off anything else that might give us a clue to what's going to happen, but no luck. I think we've pulled as much as we can."

The two girls headed over to the Talon where Clark and Lana were by the counter with Lana looking especially terrified.

"Hey, guys," Chloe sighed as she and Emmeline came up to them. "So after I promised to switch my long distance service, I finally got my guy at the phone company to track down the blocked number you called from."

"Whose was it?" Clark asked.

"It's from a cell phone belonging to Gwen Burton. Does that ring a bell?"

Lana looked at the small piece of paper Chloe handed her. "No, I have no idea who that is. Why would I make a call from her phone?"

"I don't know. But it looks like we can rack up another one from our 'Can you hear me 24 hours from now?' theory. I looked into Mrs. Burton's phone records, and there were no outgoing calls made from last night. It's like the call you received just came out of thin air."

"Or a really different time zone," Clark added. "Look, at least this gives us an advantage." The three girls looked at him in confusion. "We know what's supposed to happen. All we have to do is keep Adam away from Lana, and make sure you don't get that cell phone."

"But Adam could be anywhere," Lana responded.

"Yeah, maybe it's safer if we get you out to the farm."

"Clark, what if we can't stop this from happening?"

Emmeline put an encouraging hand on her arm. "We will."

* * *

The four of them went down to the Kent farm in the hopes that Lana would be safe from Adam there. The sky was filled with extremely ominous looking clouds and it was clear that the storm that they were about to get was going to be huge. It seemed to reflect the mood of everyone gathered at the farm.

Jonathon came into the dining room and put a blue and white snowflake sweater around Lana's shoulders. "Here you go, Lana. I know this old house can get drafty, and I'm sure Mrs. Kent won't mind."

"Thanks, Mr. Kent," Lana said. "I really appreciate it."

Chloe hung up the phone and turned around to the face the others.

"What did Clark say?"

"He-he missed Adam by a few minutes, and Adam has the cell phone," Chloe told her.

Lana flinched slightly as lightning lit up the room and a clap of thunder shook the house. She turned to the window and saw that it had started to rain. "It's all starting to come true. The storm, the phone."

"Don't you worry, Lana," Jonathon said adamantly. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

He went over to the staircase and took down a rifle hanging on the wall before walking back over to the girls.

Emmeline had to smile a little. She rather liked living in the country.

"You know, I'm not doing any good just standing here," Chloe said as she put on her scarf. "The police are looking for the stolen vehicle and for him, so if any leads come through, they're gonna come through the police scanner at the Torch."

Jonathon opened a drawer and handed her a set of keys. "Here, Chloe, I want you to take my truck. The last thing we need tonight is you getting stuck crossing the creek in that little car of yours."

"Thank you." She quickly turned to Lana and put a hand on her arm. "Lana, it's gonna be okay. We've got lots of time. The game hasn't even started yet."

"I'm gonna stay here for moral support," Emmeline said. "But call if you hear anything."

"Don't worry, I will."

"And be careful!"

Chloe quickly went outside to the Kent truck and drove back to the school. Jonathon put a comforting arm around Lana's shoulders while Emmeline gently rubbed her arm.

After several moments, Lana leaned against the counter, nervously rubbing her hands on her arms.

"Um…how are your classes going?" Emmeline asked.

"What?"

"I'm just trying to distract you."

Lana gave her a small smile. "As much as I appreciate that, that technique never really worked on me."

"Well, it was worth a shot." Emmeline noticed Lana beginning to tremble. "Hey. It's gonna be okay. We're going to get through this."

"How do you know that…?"

"Because I know Clark. And he would never let anything happen to you."

Lana smiled a little at the thought of Clark's incredible willingness to protect her.

Jonathon poured some coffee into a mug from the coffeepot. "I'm sure when Mrs. Kent gets home, she'd be happy to whip you both up one of her specialties, but until then, I'm afraid it's just black coffee."

Lana smiled as she took the mug from him. "Thanks."

"I have some honey."

"No, I'm good."

"Would you like some, Emmeline?"

"I'll pass, thank you," she answered.

Their heads turned as a car horn honked repeatedly outside.

"Sounds like my truck," Jonathon murmured. He went over to the kitchen window and looked out towards the driveway. "Yeah, it's Chloe."

"Why isn't she coming inside?" Lana asked nervously.

"I don't know. Um, why don't you lock the door behind me?"

He moved towards the door, but Emmeline stopped him. "Wait, Mr. Kent! Something doesn't feel right…"

"I agree, but if there's a chance Chloe could be in trouble, I don't want to just sit here and do nothing."

He headed out into the rain towards his truck. The two girls went to the kitchen window to watch. Just as Jonathon got the gate, Adam appeared out of nowhere and knocked him unconscious. Lana gasped and jumped next to Emmeline. They watched in horror as Adam went to the truck and yanked Chloe out of it. She hit the ground hard and did not move. Lana put her hand to her mouth.

"Lana!" Adam screamed up to the house. "I know you're in there! If you don't come out, I'll kill your boyfriend's father! Then I'll move on to Chloe!"

Lana ran towards the door.

"Lana, don't!" Emmeline cried as she took her arm. "You can't do this."

"I don't have a choice," Lana told her shakily. "If I don't, he'll kill them. And then he'll just come in here and he might kill you. I can't let that happen." She wrenched herself out of Emmeline's grasp and ran out of the door to face Adam. "Adam! Whatever you want, just don't hurt them anymore!"

She quickly walked over to the gate, and Adam forcefully grabbed her and pushed her inside the truck. Emmeline could only watch helplessly as Adam drove off with her friend into the stormy night.

As soon as the truck was gone, Emmeline raced out into the rain towards Chloe and undid the restraints on her hands. "Chloe! Chloe!"

Chloe's eyes slowly opened. "Where's Adam and Lana?"

"They're gone. Adam took her and drove off. I don't know where they went."

Emmeline helped Chloe up and went over to Mr. Kent. "Mr. Kent! Are you okay? Mr. Kent!"

Jonathon quickly came to and shook his head. "Did Adam…?"

"Yes."

The three of them quickly entered the house, all of them drenched from the rain. Martha came in not minutes behind them.

"What happened?" she asked frantically.

"Adam took Lana after taking us down," Chloe said, a large red bump forming on her forehead.

"I'll grab the first-aid kit," Jonathon said.

Martha grabbed an icepack from the kitchen and gently put it to the growing bump.

Clark ran into the house and panicked at the sight of Chloe. "What happened?"

"I came home, and I found your father, Chloe, and Emmeline drenched from the rain with a couple injuries," Martha told him.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Chloe answered. "Adam has Lana, and he has your dad's gun."

Jonathon entered the kitchen with the first-aid kit in tow. "The police are looking for him now."

"Do you know which way they headed?" Clark asked.

"I don't know," Chloe told him. "Adam keeps saying that Lana has something of his."

"The serum."

"I don't know. I mean, he already went to the Talon and the house. I don't know where they were headed next."

Emmeline put her hand to her head. "I never should've let her leave."

"There was nothing you could've done," Clark assured her. "I'm going to the youth center. The only thing we know for sure is that Lana is gonna make that call to the Crisis Hotline."

"Clark, what good is that gonna do?" Jonathon asked. "You've already heard the call."

"It was cutting in and out. I could barely hear half of it. If I can figure out why that call was placed to the past, then maybe I can stop that from happening."

"If you get a clear connection, you think Lana will be able to tell you where she is?" Martha asked him.

Jonathon quieted them and turned up the radio so they could hear the game.

"Porter passes off to Johnson again," the announcer said. "Johnson goes for the three-pointer and he sinks it!"

"What's the score?" Clark demanded.

"Vipers up by 2, 61 to 59. There are 3 seconds left in the game!"

Jonathon looked up at him. "61 to 59. Vipers."

* * *

Thankfully, Clark was able to stop Adam and save Lana. Adam, however, was not lucky. Since he never got the serum he needed, he died just as Clark arrived.

Emmeline headed into the Talon after school to see Lana happy and healthy…and still trying to figure out why they had received a call from the past.

"Hey!" she smiled as she approached the counter.

Lana smiled as she placed a vanilla bean frappucino in front of her.

"You know me so well."

"On the house."

"How come?"

"For being so encouraging yesterday."

"Oh, come on, I didn't do anything. I wasn't even able to stop Adam from taking you."

"Maybe not, but you were there for me to help me calm down. That's something in itself."

"If you say so."

"Em, can I ask you something?"

"Sure!"

Lana folded her hands together and leaned onto the counter. "How were you so sure that the what we heard at the end of the phone call wouldn't happen? Never once did you believe that I was going to die."

"Well, after Adam took you, I started losing that surety. But…I don't know, I guess I just knew that Clark would be able to do something in the end."

"How can you place so much faith in him after all the times he's fallen through?"

Emmeline smiled a little. "I don't doubt him. He may not be the best at keeping his promises, but at the end of the day, I know that he's going to come through in his own way. This whole incident was no exception. When it comes down it, I will gladly trust Clark Kent with my life."


	61. Legacy

**This episode literally had nowhere I could squeeze in Emmeline since it mainly focused on Jor-El and Jonathon, and then Lex, Lionel, and Clark. Seeing as Emmeline does not fit into either of those categories (as she doesn't know enough to give any input), this chapter is basically filler. But it's good filler :)**

* * *

Emmeline was exhausted. She had had to be in court a lot in the past couple of weeks, and it was beginning to take a toll on her body. After all, the more time she spent in court, the later she had to stay up to make sure her homework got done.

"Geez, Em," Chloe said when she walked into the Torch office. "You look like you got hit by a truck."

"I feel like I got hit by a truck," the girl groaned. "I was up until 1:30 last night getting my homework done."

"Stuck in court again?"

"Yep."

"That totally sucks."

"Yep."

"How about you stop by this weekend, and we'll have a movie night? Just to get your mind off things."

"That sounds perfect. I'd love it."

"Pete was looking for you earlier, by the way. He said he had something to give you."

"Like what?"

"Beats me. Can you go put that stack of papers in the stands?"

"Yeah, sure."

Emmeline grabbed a stack of the latest issue and exited the office to fulfill Chloe's wishes. She turned around after filling the last one up and bumped right into Clark.

"Oh, sorry!" she exclaimed.

"It's fine."

"…Are you okay?"

Clark hesitated for a moment before looking up at her. "I can tell you anything, right?"

"Of course."

"And you swear it stays between us?"

"Yeah. What's going on?"

Clark sighed heavily and they both started moving back in the direction of the office. "It's just everything with my dad…and Lana…it's a lot to handle."

"Is your dad okay?"

"Yeah, physically. Emotionally…not so much."

"Let me guess. He's beginning to evaluate all of the things he did in his life and wishes that he did some things differently."

"Yeah, how'd you know that?"

"My dad went through the exact same thing when he shattered his bone at his workplace and had to go through months of therapy. And my mom doesn't talk about it, but I know she went through it too when she got cancer."

"How did they deal with it?"

"When it was my dad, my mom and I constantly reassured him that we were there for him and that even though he may have made mistakes, every action he did brought him to where he was with us. And no matter what happened, we would always love him. With my mom, it was different. She fought a constant battle in her own mind all by herself. But I know that it helped just for me to sit with her some days and let her know that even though she was bald and sick, I loved her more than anything."

"It's a bit more complicated in my family."

"The main thing your dad needs is to know that his life was important even if all he did was take care of you. Because without him, you wouldn't be the person standing in front of me right now. And he needs to know that you love him despite any and every fault."

"What if he doesn't respond to that?"

"He may not at first. It took my dad a while for him to really perk up again. But it will happen."

"Thanks."

"Of course. Now, didn't you also say that something was going on with Lana? You don't have to tell me anything you're not comfortable sharing."

Clark sighed again. "I kissed her."

Emmeline raised her eyebrows. "Oh."

"And…she pulled away."

"I'm sorry. Do you mind me asking why?"

"It's my fault."

"Clark—"

"No, Em, it is. I have pushed her away and I have pulled back too many times. And now, she can't go through that again. I really don't blame her, but that doesn't mean I like it."

"I can see where she's coming from. Sometimes, girls tend to prevent something that may not even happen. We think the best solution is to just never get involved and then nothing bad will happen. In her case, she's afraid history will repeat itself. So you need to show her that that's not true."

"How?"

"I don't know. But I can tell you that it isn't something that's just going to happen overnight. She needs to be able to fully trust you again. Trusting someone at first is easy. Earning back trust is hard. But it's not impossible."

"I just…really love her. And I do want to be with her."

"I believe you. And I think she does too. But like I said, you need to earn her trust back before anything can happen between you two. I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but it's the truth."

Clark sighed heavily, knowing full well Emmeline made a really good point, not to mention no one had a better perspective about this kind of thing than she did.

"If you ever need to talk more, I'm here for you. Things will get better, Clark. I promise."

"Yeah. I know this is all probably the last thing you want to hear with the custody case going on."

"Hey, don't worry about that. I'm always willing to listen."

"Why?"

Emmeline was a bit taken aback at the bluntness of the question. "I don't know. I guess I just spent so long with everything bottled up inside because I couldn't talk to anyone that I don't want any of my friends to feel that way. I want them to always have someone to open up to. Because I know what it's like to not have that."

"I gotta go."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

As Emmeline watched him leave, she let out a small breath. Not once had Clark smiled even a little during that whole conversation and that was not something she was used to. Clark always smiled at least once during their serious talks. He must be really upset about everything, not that she blamed him one bit.

"Em!"

Emmeline turned around to find Pete walked up to her. "Hi, Pete!"

He came up to her and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"So I heard."

"How have you been?"

She groaned lightly. "This whole custody battle has been making me want to jump off a cliff."

Pete smiled. "Well, I've got the perfect thing for you."

"I've got to get back to the Torch."

"Relax, I already told Chloe I'm kidnapping you for a few hours."

"For what?"

"You'll see."

Pete led her outside the school to his car. He opened the door for her, like a true gentleman, and then held up a black piece of fabric.

"You have to put this on," he said with a smile.

"How come?"

"It's a surprise!"

Emmeline smiled as she turned around and allowed Pete to tie the blindfold around her eyes. The car ride wasn't terribly long, but it was long enough as Emmeline got increasingly antsy.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"Patience, my girl."

Finally, the car stopped. She heard Pete get out and then her door opened. She took his hand as he helped her out of the car.

"Okay, just let me guide you."

"Alright."

After a moment, she could feel grass under her shoes. She was certainly curious as to what he had up his sleeve.

"Okay," Pete said as they stopped walking. "We're here."

He took off the blindfold, and Emmeline gasped quietly as she put her hand to her mouth. Pete had set up a small little picnic spot for them to have lunch. He had made all of her favorite foods and even had a small music player to play some of her favorite songs.

"Oh, Pete," she said quietly. "This is…amazing."

"I thought you deserved it with everything going on."

"You are the best boyfriend ever."

She gave him a lingering kiss, increasingly thankful that she was lucky enough to date someone like him.

"That's a pretty nice way to say 'thank you'," Pete smiled once they parted. "Come on, let's eat."

The two of them sat down and Emmeline forgot all about Hannah and the court case.


	62. Truth

"Chloe," Clark called as he and Emmeline quickly sprinted down the stairs after their friend. "Hey, Chloe!" Chloe finally turned and noticed them. "We've been trying to break through the plane of Chloe for two halls now."

Chloe laughed lightly. "Yeah, I-I guess I've had a lot on my mind. Speaking of which, please tell me I can cross your Teacher of the Year interview off my to-do list."

"Um, well, I called and I left a message, but she didn't call me back."

Chloe sighed and looked over at Emmeline.

Emmeline put her hands up. "Hey, don't look at me. I was promised I wouldn't have to do interviews." She smiled coyly at Clark. "But I will happily proofread your interview when you finish it."

"Clark," Chloe sighed again as she put her hand to his shoulder. "Okay, Clark, I understand that Mrs. Taylor is like Fort Knox when it comes to her private life, but journalism isn't about sitting back and waiting for someone to hand you the truth. Sometimes you have to actually work for it." She looked over Clark's shoulder and saw none other than Mrs. Taylor walking in. "And sometimes, timing is everything. Okay, Clark. Now go. And remember, 'no comment' is not an option."

She lightly pushed Clark in Mrs. Taylor's direction, and the two girls watched to see if he handled the situation like a true journalist.

"Mrs. Taylor," Clark called. "I was wondering if we could set a time for your Torch interview. It'll be painless, I promise."

"Actually, Clark, I'm really busy this week," the teacher responded quickly.

"But Mrs. Taylor, ten minutes, tops," Chloe persisted. "How about before Lit class? Does that work for you?"

"No, I'm printing a pop quiz because I watched TV last night instead of prepping for class."

Chloe and Emmeline furrowed their eyebrows in confusion. Mrs. Taylor blinked her eyes a few times before heading into her classroom.

Chloe turned to look at the others with a confused smile. "Did she really just say that?"

The three of them headed over to the Torch office and walked in on Pete packing up his things. Emmeline came in and gave him a quick peck on the lips before putting her stuff down.

"Hey, Pete, are we still on for tonight?" Clark asked.

"Oh, yeah," Pete smiled. "I got to drop some stuff off for my mom, but I should definitely be home in time for tip-off."

"Another lovely evening huddled around the electronic hearth," Chloe said sarcastically.

"Yeah, and since Pete's supplying the big screen, I got dinner," Clark told her.

Chloe laughed in disbelief. "What? Clark Kent in the kitchen?" She turned to Pete with mock dread. "What's on the menu?"

Pete smiled. "Clark's gonna run to Metropolis to get some Shark Dogs from the stadium."

"What? Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up. You mean to tell me that Clark is driving six hours to pick up a couple of hot dogs?"

"Well, when Clark goes supersonic, he can make the roundtrip in ten minutes."

Chloe and Emmeline laughed a little and looked at Clark.

"He's kidding," Clark said with little humor in his voice.

"You're crazy," Emmeline chuckled.

Clark quickly walked over to Pete and began ushering him out of the office. "Come on, Pete, let's get to class."

"See you later!"

When the two boys left the office, Chloe looked over at her. "That was kind of weird."

"Oh, you know Pete. He's always cracking jokes."

"Mm-hmm…"

* * *

That night, Chloe, Emmeline, and Clark were sitting at Clark's dining room table going over the latest Torch issue.

"Okay, well, so far we have student accolades, testimonials, everything except for Mrs. Taylor herself," Chloe stated.

"And you have got to give me time to proofread everything," Emmeline added.

"Well, guys, if she doesn't want to talk, maybe we should just let it go," Clark told them.

Their heads turned at the sound of the door opening. Martha walked in with a couple bags of groceries. "Hi!" She smiled when she noticed the two girls at the table. "Oh, hi, Chloe, Emmeline."

"Hey, Mrs. Kent," Chloe smiled.

Clark stood up from the table. "Are there more in the truck?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Thank you."

Clark headed outside to grab the rest of the groceries. The two girls walked over to Martha as she took off her coat and scarf.

"I never got a chance to thank you for the flowers you sent after Jonathan's surgery," she said to Chloe.

"Oh, of course. How's he feeling?"

"It's been really difficult. He's depressed and angry. I worry that when he comes out of this, he won't be the same man I married."

Chloe was silent for a moment, stunned at the extremely honest confession. "I'm sorry."

"I was just telling Clark the other day how my mom and dad went through the same thing," Emmeline explained. "It's perfectly natural that both of you feel this way."

"How's Clark handling all this?"

"Of course, he feels responsible for Jonathan's condition," Martha told them.

"How could he possibly be responsible for Mr. Kent's heart attack?"

"It's not. It's his biological father. He's the one who drove Clark to Metropolis last summer!"

"Mom!" Clark said quickly with the groceries in hand. "Where do you want these?"

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows again and walked over to him. "Clark, you found your biological father, and you didn't tell us about it?"

"…She meant figuratively. Um, you know, coming to grips with the fact that my real parents didn't want me, um, played a part in what happened last summer."

"I actually can understand that," Emmeline said. And it was true, she did understand, but him running off to Metropolis and becoming a die-hard party boy seemed a little extreme when dealing with the mentality of his real parents giving him up. She had been through the same thing, but she hadn't gone crazy because of it.

Clark gave Chloe all of her books and papers from the table. "Let's pick this up tomorrow."

"Okay," Chloe said quietly. "Bye."

The two girls left the house, both wondering why this had been such a weird day…

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline ran outside to catch the Teacher of the Year as she walked into the building.

"Mrs. Taylor?" Chloe called. "Hi, Mrs. Taylor. I'm sorry to be pulling the '60 Minutes' card, but I'm crashing a deadline here. Can we just pop this off really quick?"

Mrs. Taylor smiled. "Yeah, only because I know you'll never let me off the hook."

Chloe pulled out her notepad and looked at Mrs. Taylor's son, William. "It must be pretty cool having the best teacher in school as a mom."

"Uh, yeah, I'm kind of used to her being the best at everything she does," William smiled.

"Okay, we'll just start with the obvious. Um, what do you like about teaching?"

"I enjoy the students," Mrs. Taylor answered.

"Okay. Any downsides?"

"Always having to hide the truth."

At those words, all three students' heads looked at her strangely, taken aback at the bluntness of the answer.

"I'm sorry. The truth about what?"

"That Mrs. Taylor doesn't exist. My real name is Mary-Anne Lewis, and I've been running from my past since 1972."

"I-I don't understand. What did you do?"

Tears started to form in the teacher's eyes. "I was part of a radical group. We planted explosives outside a bank in Seattle. We were just trying to make a statement. But one of the guards came in early, and when the bomb went off…

"Mrs. Taylor, are you saying you're wanted for murder?"

"I…I just drove the car," she cried. "I swear, I-I never meant for anyone to die."

"Mom, what are you saying?" William asked shakily.

"I should've told you this years ago. I'm so sorry."

Chloe finished writing down everything on her notepad. "Okay, Mrs. Taylor—"

"No!" William snapped. "Get away from her, okay? Just leave us alone!"

William quickly ushered his crying mother inside the building. Chloe looked down at her notes and smiled, something that did not go unnoticed by Emmeline.

"Chloe, you cannot print any of that in the newspaper," she said to her friend.

"Why not? This is one of the best stories I've gotten all year!"

"This is not something to put in the Torch. Maybe…we should go to the police or something."

"Uh-uh. This can make my career."

"Fine. Write it. But I'm not proofing that article."

Chloe just smirked as she watched her best friend storm into the school.

She just got the story of the decade.

* * *

Chloe walked into school with a proud smile on her face, uncaring of the multitude of glares she received from everyone she passed.

"Congratulations, Chloe," Clark said as he held up the latest edition of the Torch. "Within 24 hours, you've managed to tick off the entire school."

"Well, you don't earn your press pass by making friends," Chloe told him.

"Yeah, well, people aren't really treating me well either," Emmeline added. "Considering that they think since I'm the proofreader, I was the one who approved of this."

"Don't you think the police should be handling this?" Clark asked.

"Clark, I uncovered a murder," Chloe said proudly.

"With your new ability. You broke into the LuthorCorp plant the other night, didn't you?" Emmeline glanced over at Chloe, wondering if that was the truth. "Something happened?"

"Wow. There may be some journalistic genes behind those baby blues after all."

"Chloe, for some reason, people are telling you things they don't want you to know, and it's not a joke."

"No. But it is every reporter's dream."

"Chloe, if you keep this up, you're going to end up finding out something that you really wish you didn't find out," Emmeline said.

Chloe just smirked and walked over to a fellow student. "Rebecca. When the entire geometry class got C's on the final, how is it possible that you aced it?"

"Oh, I swiped the answer key the day before the test," Rebecca stated without hesitation. A look of panic crossed her face when she realized what she had just said. "You're not gonna tell anybody, are you?"

Chloe giggled as Rebecca hurried off in embarrassment. She looked over to find a cheerleader walking with a group of football players. "Mindy! Hey, Mindy. You're always so upbeat. Does anything bother you?"

"Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how hard it is to cheer for a losing team?" Mindy answered.

"Mindy, what are you talking about?" one of the football players asked in surprise.

Mindy quickly hurried away similar to Rebecca. Clark and Emmeline shared an uncomfortable look. This was getting out of hand and fast.

Chloe smiled at the football player. "Doug, if you could take anyone to the prom, who would you take?"

Doug looked at another one of the players. "That'd be Fitz."

"Thomas Fitzpatrick, the quarterback? Wow! I didn't expect that one."

Doug advanced threateningly towards Chloe, but Clark quickly intervened. "Hey, it's cool. It's off the record."

"Clark, this is amazing!" Chloe exclaimed as the three of them walked away from the players. "Can you imagine the kinds of stories I could break? I mean, I could crack the mystery that is Clark Kent!" She looked at him straight in the eyes with a smile. "What do you keep hiding from me?"

"I can't believe you just asked me that."

"And you didn't answer. Everyone else would have. What are you so afraid of? That I'll get behind that armor and finally uncover your secret?"

"Everyone has secrets, Chloe," Emmeline said seriously. "Everyone. And sometimes those secrets need to stay buried."

"Whatever. I'm going to the Torch. I'll see you guys later."

* * *

That afternoon, Chloe and Emmeline headed to the Talon. Luckily for Emmeline, she hadn't revealed anything to Chloe that she didn't want her to know. It helped that she was pretty much already an open book with her.

Everyone glared at the two girls as they walked inside and a couple people purposefully bumped into them.

"How could you print this?" William said to Chloe as he tossed her a newspaper. "Thanks to you, my mom had to go into hiding! The police are looking for her!"

"I'm sorry, William, but I just printed the truth," Chloe answered without much remorse. "I mean, I can't be held responsible for that."

William took a step closer to her, and while Chloe didn't back down, Emmeline took a couple steps back. "You ruined my life."

William left the Talon and everyone else inside followed suit.

Lana came up to the two of them with a tray in her hand.

"Is it just me, or did I completely clear out the lunch crowd?" Chloe asked.

"No, it was you," Lana answered bluntly. "Ever since you've turned the Torch into your own personal gossip column, no one can stand being around you."

"I never approved of that article," Emmeline put in. "But no one knows that."

"Yeah, well, at least you're still talking to us, right?" Chloe smiled.

Lana turned away from them. "For now."

"Okay. What's that about?"

She turned back to face them. "I applied to the Paris School of the Arts. They have a full-time high school program and if I get accepted, I start in the summer."

"Wow. I guess I'm not in the loop. When did you decide this?"

"I've been thinking about it for a while now. Everyone has their families, you know, and, um, I'm not sure where I fit in."

"But I always thought that we were your family."

"Come on, Chloe. I know what you and everyone else thinks of me. That I'm driven and self-involved. I just can't wait to get out of here and go somewhere where people don't judge me."

"I never said anything like that."

"You never had to."

"Why haven't you ever talked to me about this?"

"Because I couldn't trust you."

Chloe looked at Lana for a moment, truly hurt, before turning and leaving the Talon.

Lana looked at Emmeline with a confused and bewildered expression. "I never meant to say any of that."

"Yeah, I know, it's not you," Emmeline explained. "Something happened to Chloe, and now the people she talks to have no choice but to tell her the truth."

"That's how she found out about Mrs. Taylor."

"Exactly. I warned her that she might find out things she doesn't want to, but as a reporter, all she can think about it getting the truth for her stories."

"Is this permanent?"

"I seriously hope not. I think Clark is trying to track down what made this happen and figure out something to fix it. Until then…I'm just really hoping I don't end up revealing something I don't want to."

"Yeah…"

* * *

Pete and Emmeline arrived at the hospital to find Clark pacing around the waiting room.

"Pete, Em, what are you guys doing here?" Clark asked when he noticed them.

"Chloe said you had some big story," Pete told him.

Clark began to lead them towards the elevator. "Um, I just told her that. The way she's been acting, I thought it was the only way I could get her to the hospital."

"Is she okay?"

"She got doused with something at LuthorCorp, and I think it's making her sick. Some sort of truth gas."

"Which would explain the vice grip on my arm." Clark quickly let him go when he realized how tightly he was holding onto him. "I can take a hint, Clark. You want us to get out of here before the human lie detector shows up."

"Make sure she's okay, Clark," Emmeline said to him. "You're the only one who seems to be immune to her little power."

"I will," Clark answered.

The elevator opened, and Pete and Emmeline quickly got in before Chloe showed up. Unfortunately, Chloe was already in the elevator.

"Hey, guys," she smiled.

"Chloe," Pete panicked. He took Emmeline's arm and tried to get out of the elevator with her, but Chloe stopped them.

"No, wait. Now, enough is enough. Everyone seems to be on the Run-Away-From- Chloe bandwagon today. Why you two?"

"I'm trying to stay away from you so I don't tell you the truth."

Just before the elevator door closed, Clark quickly opened it back up and stood between Chloe and the others. "Chloe? Remember that story that I called you about?"

"Yeah, we can talk about the story later, Clark," Chloe said as she pushed him out of the way. "Right now, I want to know why you guys are playing such a zone defense on me. Em, you're my best friend. Do you seriously have anything to hide from me?"

"Sometimes I feel that you put your stories above our friendship," Emmeline blurted. "And that if Hannah wins the custody battle and I have to move, you're just going to use that as an opportunity to write a new story."

Chloe looked genuinely hurt. "Em, I-I would never do that to you. Why didn't you tell me this?"

"Because I knew you'd try to deny it. And I wouldn't believe you."

"But…you tell me everything. Even if it's about your dating life and I get jealous."

"You shouldn't get jealous."

"Why? I thought you had a great relationship."

"I worry that it's too much work to be in relationship with me because of everything that's going on with Mom and Hannah and the fact that I don't like talking to people or going out. And that Pete thinks I'm too much trouble but he's too nice to say anything."

Chloe looked over at Pete who had a hurt expression on his face. "What is the big secret, Pete?"

Pete looked at Clark in a panic for a moment before leaning in and kissing Chloe full on the lips. Emmeline's mouth dropped open, and she felt tears quickly fill her eyes.

"I've been waiting to do that ever since the first day I met you," Pete confessed.

Chloe's eyes widened. "Okay, whoa, Pete. You're dating Em. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"Because I knew the way you felt about Clark, and I never saw the point."

Emmeline's tear-filled eyes met Clark's as the elevator door opened. Pete quickly ran out, mortified at his actions.

"Pete, wait," Chloe called.

"Chloe, listen. If Clark's right and there something wrong with you, then take care of it. Please."

Pete quickly left the hospital before he could say anything more. Emmeline looked at her two friends before running off in the opposite direction, completely heartbroken.

* * *

Clark was in the Torch researching on Chloe's computer when Pete quickly walked in.

"Clark, I've been looking for you. They arrested Mrs. Taylor."

"I know," Clark answered. "It's been all over the Internet."

"As long as you're online, you want to ask Jeeves how long it takes to die of embarrassment? And then ask how long it takes for your girlfriend to talk to you again after you kissed another girl?"

Clark awkwardly got up from the computer. "Pete, how come you didn't tell me how you felt about Chloe?"

Pete looked up at him. "It's not like I ever had a chance with her."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because I'm always standing next to you. Oh, come on, Clark. As far as long shadows go, you're the dark side of the moon."

"Maybe so, but Em chose you, didn't she?"

"Yeah, and I love her, but I don't know if she's ever going to talk to me again after what she saw in the elevator."

"If she loves you like I think she does, she will. You need to prove to her that she's the only girl you truly care about."

"Yeah…" Pete looked over at Chloe's computer to see what Clark was researching. "Why are you looking through Chloe's files?"

"I'm worried about her." Pete took a seat at the computer. "She's working on a story about a LuthorCorp project called Levitas. This retired military doctor General Jonah Doyle claims he was part of the first test five years ago."

"Sounds like a crackpot."

"It's our only lead."

* * *

"Hey, Em."

Emmeline looked up from her work in the Torch office to find Chloe walking through the doorway.

"I, uh…don't know how I can apologize enough."

Emmeline looked away and didn't answer.

"I'm totally truth-serum'd out, so you're safe on that end."

"How?"

"Um…I was on my way to Clark's house to ask his parents everything he wouldn't tell me. But the serum made me sick and I couldn't drive straight. William came after me and nearly ran me off Coughlin Bridge since he was angry at me for everything that happened with his mom."

At that, Emmeline stood up from her chair and went over to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but the serum made me pass out and would've killed me…if Clark hadn't shown up and inserted some kind of drug into my heart."

"What drug?"

"I don't know. I don't even know where he got such a thing, but…it saved me. So…now that you know what happened, it's time for the apologies. I'm so sorry about…everything. I wasn't even thinking about how my article would impact you. And then there was everything that happened in the elevator…"

"That's on Pete. He should've told me about this a long time ago."

"Yeah, well, he chose you in the end, didn't he?"

"I guess."

"Pete does love you, Em. I promise. Please don't let my stupid actions get in the way of the amazing relationship you have with him."

Emmeline didn't answer.

"And also, there are times when I probably do put my stories above our friendship without realizing it. So if I ever do that, please tell me. I want to know about these things because the amount of times you've been there for me, it's extremely unfair for me to do that to you."

Emmeline smiled a little. "Thanks. But I should've been honest with you about that."

"And I promise I won't turn the custody case into a story, no matter how it turns out. I'd be so upset you were leaving town, I wouldn't be able to write it anyway."

"I think I always knew that. But…a part of me still believed you would. And I think that was a little unfair of me."

"Well…not exactly. But if it meant hurting you, I would never do it. I swear. And no matter how this case turns out, we'll always be best friends."

Emmeline smiled wider. "Best friends for life."

The two girls shared a tight hug, the tension between them gone.

Chloe sat down at her computer and pressed a button on her desk phone.

"Thank you for using CansCom," an automated voice said. "Please enter your security code now." She pressed more buttons on the phone. "You have one new message." She pressed 1, and a sickening voice filled the room.

"Hello, Miss Sullivan." Emmeline's head snapped over to look at the phone as Lionel Luthor's voice came across. "It's only me. Um, oh, no need to look for that conversation we had earlier. It's gone. And, um, well, that's it. No need to call back."

"You have no more messages."

"What is he talking about?" Emmeline asked.

Chloe sighed heavily, fear etched across her face. "These past few months, I've been working with Lex to try to put Lionel Luthor behind bars."

"Wait, what? Why haven't I heard about this?"

"Because I was trying to keep it on the DL. You know the reason why Lex was in the mental institution?"

Emmeline shook her head.

"Because Lex found out what Lionel had done, and Lionel put him in there to erase his memories so he could stay out of jail."

"I thought he had a psychotic break."

"A psychotic break Lionel caused. While I had the truth serum in me, I got Lionel's confession on voicemail. He ordered a crime boss to kill his parents for their life insurance."

"He did what?"

"Yeah. But apparently…he managed to delete the recording."

Emmeline smirked a little. "I know you. You're not going to let him get away that easy."

* * *

The doorbell rang at Emmeline's house, and she went to go answer it. There was Pete. After barely two seconds, Emmeline stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face.

"Okay, I think I deserved that," Pete muttered.

Emmeline glared at him fiercely.

"Look, Em…what happened in the elevator…it's true, I did have feelings for Chloe. But I didn't even realize they were still inside me until I had no choice but to confess the truth. I love you, and only you."

"Are you just dating me because you couldn't have Chloe? Am I just your second choice?"

"No! I'm dating you because you are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on, and I've thought so since the day I met you. My feelings for Chloe go back further, but the more I spent time with you, the more those feelings began to disappear. I have felt things for you that I never felt for Chloe. Because I never loved Chloe the way I do you."

Emmeline crossed her arms over her chest. "I suppose…I should've told you how I felt about our relationship."

"Em, just because your mom had cancer and you're going through this whole custody battle doesn't mean I love you any less or think you're too much trouble. If anything, it makes me want to spend more time with you so I can cheer you up and see your beautiful smile again. You're the only girl for me, Em. I love you."

Emmeline smiled a little before taking Pete's head in her hands and giving him a passionate kiss.

The two of them stood there kissing on her front porch, and though Emmeline had been through her fair share of heartbreak throughout her relationship with Pete, moments like this made it all worth it.


	63. Memoria

**The amount of Clark/Emmeline shippers is amazing. I can't say I blame you. The chemistry between them IS rather overwhelming ;)**

* * *

Clark had been acting really on edge recently, and Emmeline wasn't exactly sure why. She knew that his dad was in Metropolis for some more tests after his surgery, but regardless of how that probably affected him, it wasn't enough to warrant how… _nervous_ he had been acting.

Although at the moment, that was the least of her concerns.

Hannah had called her wanting to meet.

Emmeline went to the Talon and saw her biological mother sitting at one of the tables. The place was pretty empty, so there wasn't much chance of anyone listening in on their conversation. That was good. She didn't really know how this was going to go.

"Hi," Emmeline said quietly as she sat across from Hannah.

"Hi," Hannah answered.

"So, um, what did you want to talk about?"

Hannah nervously wrung her hands together, and Emmeline thought for a moment that she was going to cry. "I dropped the case."

Emmeline did not expect that. "What?"

"I'm so sorry. I…had no right to put this on your shoulders."

"Why the change of heart?"

"Actually, um…your friend, Clark, came to see me."

"He did?"

"Yeah. And uh, he helped me realize how ridiculous this whole thing was."

"What did he possibly say to you in one meeting that I couldn't say to you in all of ours?"

"I guess…I was able to see how much he cared for you, and in turn, that showed me how much all of your other friends care for you as well. It's one thing to hear it, but it's another thing to see it."

Emmeline couldn't help but smile a little. Clark really could do everything.

"I'm going back to New York."

At those words, the girl snapped her head up to look at the woman across from her. "What?"

"I…came back into your life at a bad time, and I just made things difficult. Right now, I think that me going back is best for everyone."

"Hannah…"

"I should never have tried to force you to move with me. Not after seventeen years of not being in your life. I didn't even give you enough time to get used to the idea of your biological mother attempting to connect with you."

"I know, but that doesn't mean you have to leave the state."

"For now, I do."

"No, Hannah…Mom…"

Hannah smiled sadly. "I haven't earned that title yet. I want to. Someday. But not now. Now, I want you to focus on what you have here in Smallville. You have a great boyfriend, amazing friends…wonderful parents. That's more than I could give you in New York. I think I always knew that, but I lied to myself because I just wanted you back."

Emmeline could feel tears pooling in her eyes.

"I'm not disappearing again, Emmeline. I promise. I'm just…backing out for the time being. But if you ever want to talk or anything, you know where I live and you have my number. I'll be there when you're ready." Tears formed in her eyes as well. "I love you, Emmeline. Don't ever question that. You are my daughter, and I will always love you."

Hannah got up from the table and left the Talon.

Emmeline put her hands to her face, tears slipping down her cheeks and running onto her long sleeves. She may not have approved of Hannah's decision to fight for custody, but that didn't mean she wanted her out of her life completely. There were still so many questions she had. So much she still wanted to know, especially about her father.

But now Hannah was gone. Sure she said that Emmeline could call, but it just wasn't the same to have the woman who had given birth to her on the other side of the country.

It was too final.

* * *

"Emmeline?" Lex said in surprise when the girl was led into his study. "What brings you here?"

"I…I was wondering if you knew where Clark was. I haven't been able to get in contact with him, and no one else has seen him today."

"So you came here?"

"You're his best friend. And I'm out of options."

Lex looked at the girl in front of him. She looked tired and weary and overall pretty upset. "You all right?"

"I'm fine."

She clearly wasn't fine, but he decided not to press it. Even if he did, he was pretty sure she still wouldn't tell him. After all, he knew it took a lot to get her to open up and even if he had taught her and Lana self-defense together, it wasn't enough for her to suddenly pour her heart out to him.

Lex smirked a little. "I think I have an idea of where he might be."

Emmeline got into his car with him and allowed him to drive her to wherever he believed Clark to be. She wasn't totally comfortable with the man, but Clark trusted him and that was good enough for her. She at least knew he wasn't driving her to some weird place to murder her or something.

They pulled up to Summerholt Neurological Institute. Her heart hardened as she remembered what they had done to Ryan not that long ago. It was hard to believe that it was over a year since his death.

"Why would he be here?" Emmeline asked.

"He might not be. I'm hoping he isn't. But Clark has a tendency to meddle in things that aren't his business."

"He has the best intentions."

Lex let out a small laugh. "I can't deny that. Don't worry, Emmeline, we'll find him."

They both got out of the car and approached the Institute. If Emmeline had her way, Dr. Garner would be in jail for the rest of his life, and then he would be brought back to life so that he could be in jail longer.

Lex approached the receptionist desk with firm resolve. "I'm here to see Dr. Garner."

The receptionist quickly stood up. "Mr. Luthor, Dr. Garner left word with your assistant. Your session's been cancelled."

"I got the message. I want to speak with him personally."

"Well, I'm afraid he's off-site at a seminar."

Lex gave her a thin smile. "Thank you." He walked a few feet away from the desk and pulled out his cell phone. "At Summerholt?" he said angrily to someone on the other end. "Is that why Dr. Garner cancelled my session?" A pause. "Then you better make time. Because my treatment worked. I remember everything…You know where I am, Dad." Lex quickly shut the phone and looked over at Emmeline. "If Clark's here, my dad will know."

"How can you be sure?"

"I know him."

"Lex?"

The both of them turned to find Lionel walking towards them. Emmeline's heartbeat quickened. With the new knowledge that this man had sent his parents to their deaths for money, she was even more wary to be around him than before.

"Lex, what's so urgent that you needed to call me out of a meeting?" Lionel asked sharply. "What's the problem, son?" He looked over at Emmeline. "And why did you bring her here?"

"Concerned friend, not that you'd know anything about that. More to the point, I don't know what the problem is, Dad. The fact that you co-opted Dr. Garner tells me that you really are scared of the memories I could recover. What'd you give him?"

Lionel didn't have the chance to answer because all of a sudden, a loud crash rang out that caused the floor to shake beneath them and the emergency alarm to go off.

Lionel turned to look at the receptionist. "What was that?"

"The alarm in the memory well's been triggered," the receptionist answered.

Lex glared at Lionel. "Looks like I'm not the only one playing with fire."

He lightly pressed his hand to Emmeline's back and pushed her in the direction of where Lionel had come from, ignoring Lionel's protests behind them.

They arrived at the memory well to find the whole place in shambles. Emmeline wondered what could possibly have caused such destruction.

"Be careful," Lex warned her as he avoided a shower of sparks.

They walked past an unconscious lab technician. Lex quickly felt for a pulse, and it seemed that he found one as he removed his hand rather quickly.

Lex and Emmeline headed over to the memory well which was filled with green liquid. Lex peered inside and panicked.

"Emmeline, hand me that pipe," he ordered.

Emmeline quickly grabbed a pipe that had come loose in all the chaos and handed it to him. He rammed it into the side of the tank, shattering the glass. Green liquid spilled all across the floor.

Lex looked inside the tank. "Clark."

Emmeline's eyes widened, and she ran to Lex's side to look inside the tank as well. Sure enough, there was Clark stripped down to his boxers looking extremely weak and sick.

"Lex, help me," he mustered out.

"I'm gonna get you out of here."

Emmeline looked at her friend inside the tank. She didn't know how he'd gotten here or the full reason he was even at Summerholt in the first place, but she knew full well that Lionel Luthor and Dr. Garner had a hand in this. As if she didn't hate those two men enough.

* * *

Emmeline read in the news that Dr. Garner was in a coma after the events of what happened at Summerholt. A coma was too good for him. There was still debate about whether coma patients dreamed or not, but if they did, she hoped that he was stuck in a nightmare.

She wondered if wishing for such a thing made her a bad person. When it came down to it, she just wanted justice for Ryan and the other patients he had hurt.

That evening, she slowly walked up the stairs to Clark's loft.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.

Clark jumped a little and looked over at her. "I'm fine."

"What were you even doing at Summerholt?"

"Trying to stop Lex from making a mistake. It didn't exactly go as planned. Which you know."

"Yeah. How did that happen? I mean, I know Lionel had something to do with it. Which begs the question why would he do such a thing? I know he's intrigued with you for whatever reason because of everything he made Chloe do, but just…why?"

Clark looked at her again with an expression she couldn't quite place. "I don't know." After a small pause, he asked, "What were you doing there?"

"I had been trying to reach you, but no one had seen you all day. I got worried and contacted Lex. He's the one who brought me there."

"Why Lex?"

"I didn't know who else to go to."

"Why were you looking for me?"

"Um…it doesn't matter. I'm glad you're feeling better."

She turned to go, but before she could head down the stairs, Clark grabbed her arm. "Em, what did you want to tell me?"

Emmeline sighed as she turned to him. "Hannah…is leaving."

"What are you talking about? What about the custody case?"

"She dropped it. Apparently, a certain friend of mine went to visit her."

A guilty look crossed Clark's face. "Look, Em, I only went to talk to her because I saw how much this whole custody battle was taking out of you. I didn't mean—"

"Relax, Clark, I'm not mad at you. In fact, I'm glad you talked to her. Because I think she was about to win the case, and I couldn't handle that. And because of you, the whole custody nightmare is over. I'm really thankful for that."

"Yeah, but…I didn't mean to make her leave."

"You didn't. That was her own choice. And you know…a part of me agrees with her. Maybe dealing with my biological mom coming back into my life is too much for me to handle right now, and this is all for the best. But at the same time…I don't want her to go. She's the only real family I have. I love my parents to death, but it's just…different now that I've met my real mom."

"Believe it or not, I know how you feel."

"How?"

"It's kind of complicated."

"Everything with you is complicated."

Clark gave a sheepish smile. "You can still call her though, right?"

"Yeah, but with her so far away…it's just not the same."

"I understand."

"I'm really not upset with you, Clark, I promise. I know that my body language is kind of saying the opposite, but I'm not. I'm just…upset with the situation."

"Yeah, I know. Fate really seems to have been stabbing us in the back lately. But you've still got us. And maybe someday, you'll see Hannah again and really connect with her when you do. You'll be older and will have wrapped your head around things a lot more. Things will work out in the end."

Emmeline nodded a little, a couple tears slipping down her cheeks. Despite everything Hannah had put her through, she was still her mother at the end of the day, and she already missed her.

Clark gently hugged her, silently letting her know that everything would be okay.


	64. Talisman

Chloe and Emmeline walked into the Torch office to find Pete on the phone.

"Why won't you listen to me?" he yelled to whoever was on the other end. "I told you I don't want to talk about it!" He slammed the phone back down on the receiver.

"Note to self: Forward all telemarketing calls to Pete," Chloe joked. "You want to tell me what that was about?"

"It was nothing."

She noticed that he was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. "Did you pull an all-nighter or do you just find changing clothes every day a little too cliché?"

"I was a little laundry-impaired this morning."

Emmeline furrowed her eyebrows. She knew when her boyfriend was lying.

"How Bohemian of you," Chloe remarked. "Hey, do you want to cover the gymnastics tryouts?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, can you find someone else?"

"Pete Ross passing up the opportunity to ogle Smallville High's women in spandex?"

Emmeline laughed and put her hands on his shoulders. "It's just because he has such a beautiful girlfriend that he can't think about that."

Pete moved out of her touch. "Look, I just can't do it, okay? I gotta get to class."

Chloe started to gather her things. "Well, hang on a second, and we'll walk with you." She put down her stuff and when she looked up, Pete was gone. "Or not." She looked over at Emmeline. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know," Emmeline admitted. "He's been acting really weird and distant for the past few days. I'm really worried about him."

"He shares everything with you, doesn't he?"

"Not this. Whatever's been going on with him, I guess he doesn't want to tell me. I've been waiting to see if he'll come around, but he isn't. If things get any worse, I'll have to squeeze it out of him."

"Let me know how things work out."

* * *

At the Talon, Chloe and Emmeline watched eagerly as Lana opened her letter from Paris School of the Arts. She smiled at first, but her smile quickly faded.

"You didn't get in?" Chloe guessed.

"No, um, no, I got accepted," Lana answered.

"But…?" Emmeline questioned.

"They turned down my financial aid, which means I can't go."

Chloe and Emmeline shared a sorrowful look as Lana sadly put the letter under the cash tray from the register.

"Well, wait a minute," Chloe said as they came around the counter. "Before you commit yourself to pouring lattes in the Sunflower State, why don't you talk to Lex?"

"Chloe, I'm not asking Lex for a loan."

"Why not? You know he would happily lend it to you."

"But I wanted to do this on my own."

"Well, selfishly, the both of us would be glad if you decided to stay. But if Lex were in your shoes, do you honestly think that he would let one bump in the road deter him from pursuing his dreams? Call him."

Lana sighed as she thought about what her friend was saying. In all honesty, she made a good point…

* * *

Late at night after working on the latest issue for much longer than they expected, the two girls exited the Torch office. To their surprise, Pete was at his locker. Emmeline didn't miss that he quickly closed it, like he was trying to hide something from them.

"Hey," Chloe exclaimed as she locked the office door. "I thought we held the monopoly on burning the candle at both ends."

Pete laughed a little. "Actually I was just heading to the Torch to print out my term paper."

"Oh, yeah. What good are extracurriculars if you can't milk them for office supplies?" She turned and unlocked the Torch office door and turned the light on for him. "Just, um, lock up when you're done and try to turn everything off, okay?"

"Okay."

"Oh, hey! I saw your mom at the courthouse. You didn't tell me she was up for federal judgeship."

Pete's face darkened. "Actually, she doesn't have the job yet."

"Oh, but, I mean, with her record, she's a shoo-in. I was talking to a couple of people—"

"You don't stop until you get your scoop, do you?!" Pete suddenly burst out, making Emmeline jump a little.

"I was just trying to show a little interest in your life," Chloe told him quietly. "I'm your friend, Pete, I'm not just some random reporter."

"You see, that…that's the problem. You're both. And it's pretty obvious which one comes first." Pete pushed past the two girls to get into the office.

"What's with you, Pete?"

"Not everything is public domain, Chloe! Now I understand why Clark gets so mad at you for trying to bust into his private life."

Chloe held out the office key for him, completely hurt. "Here."

Pete took the key from her hand and shut the door.

Emmeline looked at Chloe. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Chloe nodded and took off down the hall. Emmeline opened the door to the office and stepped in with her arms crossed over her chest.

Pete sighed when he saw her. "What are you still doing here?"

"What's going on, Pete?"

"Nothing is going on."

"Come on, I'm your girlfriend. Something is clearly bothering you, and I want you to feel like you can talk to me about it. You've always been there for me. I want to be there for you."

Pete looked down at his hands for a long time before saying anything. "I didn't mean to yell at Chloe," he said much quieter.

Emmeline took a seat across from him. "What's got you so upset?"

"My parents…they're getting a divorce."

Emmeline gasped quietly and looked down at her hands. Of all the things she thought Pete might say, that wasn't one of them. "Mentioning the job offer touched a nerve, huh?"

"I don't understand. I knew they had arguments, but I never thought they'd want to split."

"You've been staying here, haven't you?"

"How'd you know?"

"Not changing clothes? Being at the school at this hour?"

"I just wanted to get away from all the yelling…and all the boxes."

Emmeline sighed. She didn't have any idea how he felt. Her parents were more in love with each other than anything, and she only knew a couple people who had been through divorce before. But it was different when it was happening to the boy she loved.

She gently put her hand on his arm. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because if I did…then that would make it real."

"Yeah, I can understand that. Look…why don't you come stay at my place for tonight? My parents won't mind as long as you sleep downstairs. They trust you."

"I couldn't do that."

"I'm not going to let you sleep in the Torch office, Pete."

Pete looked over at her. "It's really okay?"

"Yeah. Just for tonight."

"That'd be nice, Em."

"All right. Come on."

Emmeline drove Pete back to her house and brought him inside to the living room.

"Just wait here for a second."

As Pete sat on the couch, she went upstairs to where her parents were getting ready for bed.

"Hey, hon, I'm glad you got back okay," her mother smiled.

"Um…Pete's downstairs because he needs a place to stay for tonight."

"Is everything okay?"

"Not really. His parents are getting divorced, and it's really tough on him. He's been sleeping at the Torch for the past few nights. I told him he could stay here tonight. Don't worry, we won't do anything, I promise. I just didn't want him sleeping on the couch in the office again."

Emmeline's father sighed. His parents had divorced as well when he had been in high school so he was well aware what the poor kid was going through.

"I don't have a problem with it," he told her. "We trust the both of you, and I agree with your reasoning. Just for tonight though, okay?"

"All right."

"I'll get some sheets and a blanket from the closet, and we'll pull out the couch in the guest room."

"Thanks, Dad." Emmeline went back downstairs. "My dad's going to get the guest room bed ready for you."

"I really don't want to put you guys through anymore trouble," Pete said as he stood up.

"It's fine. I'm going to head to bed, okay?"

"All right. Good night, Em."

"Night. And hey, no more sleeping at the Torch, all right? Talk to your mom and dad about how you're really feeling."

She gently kissed him before heading upstairs to her room.

Emmeline's father came down and led Pete to the guest bed. Pete helped him get the sheets on the pull-out couch.

"This bed should be comfortable enough for you," he said to his daughter's boyfriend. "We haven't had any complaints so far."

"Thanks, Mr. Brooks."

"It's no problem, Pete. I know what you're going through. Divorce is really hard, but I know that you'll get through this. It will take some time, believe me. But you will get through it."

Pete nodded a little.

"You ever need anything, our door is always open for you."

"I appreciate that."

* * *

Emmeline's cell phone began ringing, and she saw that Chloe was calling her. "Hey, what's up?"

"Pete's mom called me. She wanted to know where he was. She said she tried calling you, but there was no answer."

"I guess I just missed her call. So he's not at home?"

"No, he hasn't been home all day."

Emmeline sighed. "I know where he is."

She quickly got into her car and met up with Chloe in front of the school. The two girls walked down the hallway to the Torch office and entered the room. Chloe flipped the desk light on.

Sure enough, there was Pete sleeping on the couch. His eyes opened as the light turned on. "Chloe, what are you guys doing here?"

"I think we should be asking you that," Chloe answered.

"Give me a minute, and I'll get out of your way." He quickly hopped up off the couch and began to put his shirt on.

Chloe sat down on the couch. "You know, when my parents split, I hid out in the garage. I didn't have my driver's license yet." Pete remained silent. "Your mom called today. She asked me if I'd seen you, and I said I hadn't. She tried to brush it off. She said you were probably hanging out with Clark. But you weren't."

Pete finally turned around. "Mystery solved."

"Yeah. I'm guessing that you didn't tell me about your mom's job offer because it wasn't a good thing, is it?"

"I thought she'd turn it down right away. But it doesn't look like that's gonna happen."

Pete sat down on the couch next to Chloe and Emmeline took a seat next to him.

Chloe gave him a sad smile. "Well, having been through my own version of divorce court, I know how difficult it can be. Do you think there's any chance that they'll work it out?"

"My dad's helping her move to Wichita," Pete said angrily, tears pooling in his eyes. "I guess I just didn't realize how bad it was between them. This just seems like an excuse for her to leave. It just feels like it's somebody else's life and not mine."

Chloe put her hand to his head before hugging him tightly. Emmeline gently rubbed his back, wishing that she could just take his pain and make it all go away.

* * *

"Where are you taking me?" Pete asked as Emmeline drove down the road.

"I told you, it's a surprise," she answered with a smile.

She pulled off the road and then led him to where she had set up a small picnic blanket complete with a CD player and all of his favorite foods.

"What is this?"

Emmeline smiled at him. "You were there to take my mind off things during the custody battle. And now it's my turn to do the same."

"You're the best."

"I did it because I love you."

"I love you too."

They kissed each other lovingly before sitting down to eat. For the first time in days, Pete forgot about the divorce.


	65. Forsaken

**I have literally had this chapter planned out since season one, so I am very happy I finally got to write it. Apologies in advance for the feels.**

* * *

Emmeline, Chloe, and Lana entered the Talon feeling rather bittersweet. It was nearly time for Lana to leave to Paris, and it was still unknown if she was ever going to come back.

"I guess you're not gonna miss the 5 AM pastry deliveries," Chloe remarked.

"It's weird," Lana sighed. "All I was trying to do was save this place from being torn down. Next thing I know, it kind of took over my life."

As they entered the main room, they saw to their surprise that the Talon had been fixed up exactly like it was before.

"Whoa."

"Yeah."

"I thought they were turning the Talon into a house of heartburn."

"Why would I do that?" a girl's voice said from the stairs. They all looked up to find a young woman around their age descend the stairs and come over to them. "You must be Lana."

"Yeah, but I thought I was meeting Mr. Kerns," Lana told her.

"He's…my dad."

"Oh, I didn't realize."

"Yeah, he sent me to set everything up. I'm Emma."

"Hi," Lana smiled as they shook hands. "Have we met before? You seem really familiar."

"Everybody says that."

Lana pointed to the two girls with her. "This is Chloe and Emmeline. They'll be two of your frequent 'caffeinators'."

"Hi," they smiled at her.

"Hi," Emma replied.

"Just out of curiosity, what's going on with the burrito bar?" Chloe asked.

"Oh, it was all wrong. Everything is perfect just the way it is. Lana, would you mind staying around a little while and showing me the ropes?"

"No, no, it's the least I could do," Lana answered. "Oh, and I wanted to give you these." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of keys and handed them to Emma. "I found an extra set of keys. Wow, I sort of feel like I'm handing over half of my life to you."

"Don't worry. It's in good hands."

* * *

Emmeline and Chloe were once again working in the Torch office late at night when someone else walked in.

"Good evening, Miss Sullivan. Miss Brooks."

Emmeline's heart sped up at the sound of Lionel Luthor's voice. What did he possibly want now?

"Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the hallways," Chloe said sharply.

"All right, you can cut the sarcasm. I'm only here because I need your help."

"With all your resources, Mr. Luthor, what could you possibly want from me?"

"Your friendship. With Lana Lang. A young woman in my care, the daughter of a friend is missing. We can't locate her."

"I'll congratulate her when I see her. I don't know what this has to do with Lana, but—"

"Her father was looking for her. He's disappeared as well." He pulled out a picture of the girl and handed it to Chloe. "She, uh, was Lana's best friend when they were children. So it's possible she might show up here in Smallville. The girl is sick. Very sick. She needs treatment. If she is here in Smallville, I'm sure you'll find out about it. I'll expect a call from you."

As Lionel left the office, Emmeline went over to Chloe and looked at the picture. "Isn't that the new Talon owner's daughter?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I'm pretty sure Lionel's definition of sick is different from ours. Do you really think she's dangerous?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to see what I can find."

* * *

Chloe didn't have any luck when she searched for the girl which was definitely unusual. Chloe could usually find anything on anyone.

However, when Clark stepped into the office, the mystery was quickly solved when she showed him the picture.

"It's Emily Dinsmore," he told them. "They found her father's car abandoned outside of the Talon."

"I knew she looked kind of familiar…" Emmeline muttered.

"Lionel must've nabbed her last year after she pushed Lana off the bridge," Chloe said. "And in the meantime, she's picked up a bad habit of walking through walls."

"At least we know why Lionel's trying so hard to get her back," Clark put together. "He can't let Lex find her first."

"Wait a minute, when did Lex enter the equation?"

"Chloe, Lex has been working with the FBI to try to take down his father."

"Clark, if you knew Lex was looking for dirt on Lionel, why didn't you tell him about his grandparents?"

"Because we never had hard evidence before about what Lionel was doing. Besides, the last time I confronted him about it, it almost got him killed."

"But if we found Emily, then we could prove that Lionel's been illegally cloning people. The thing I don't get is if Emily could've escaped at any time, why did she wait until now for the sudden encore appearance?"

"Maybe she found out she was gonna lose Lana forever."

"Then the question is what would you do to keep someone from leaving?"

Clark thought for a moment before a look of realization crossed his face. "I'd try to make things go back to the way they were before." He quickly went over to Chloe's computer.

"You mean when they were kids?"

"Emily still thinks Lana's her best friend and everything can be like it was when they used to play together."

"Well, you lived next door to Lana. Do you remember seeing them?"

"No. They spent most of their time at Emily's. What we need to do is figure out where that is."

Clark searched 'Dinsmore' through property records to see which places the Dinsmores owned. That way, hopefully, they could find Emily and then they could find Lana.

* * *

That night, Pete was driving Emmeline down the road, his mind racing as he tried to figure out how to break the news to her.

"How about we go out for dinner next week?" Emmeline said with a smile. "We haven't done that in a while."

Pete was about to respond when blue and red flashing lights filled his rearview mirror.

"You're not speeding. Do you have a light out or something?"

"I don't think so."

Pete pulled over on the side of the road. The cop approached the car and shined his flashlight on Pete's face.

"Was I speeding?" he asked the officer.

"No, kid, but I'm gonna have to ask you and your girlfriend to step out of the car." He pulled out his badge and shined the light on it to reveal that his name was Frank Loder. "FBI. I just have a few questions for the both of you. It won't take long."

Pete and Emmeline questioningly got out of the car. "I'm pretty sure you got the wrong guy."

"You Pete Ross?"

"Is this about my mom?"

"Federal judges gotta go through a routine security check. I've just got a few questions to ask you. And then I just want to get your girlfriend's opinion on things since sons tend to be a bit biased when talking about their moms."

* * *

"Get up!"

Loder pulled up Pete from the pier he had pushed him on, Emmeline still on the ground behind them. A trail of blood flowed from the side of Pete's head and his nose while a large bruise sat on Emmeline's cheek. Both of their hands were handcuffed in front of them.

"You know how to swim, Pete?" Loder demanded.

"Get off me, man!" Pete demanded, trying to get out of Loder's grip.

"Huh?"

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm losing my patience with you!" He threw Pete down near the edge of the pier.

"Stop!" Emmeline cried as she stepped forward. "You'll kill him!"

"Shut up!" Loder yelled at her. "You're next."

Emmeline sank to her knees, furious that she was unable to do anything.

"You're crazy!" Pete growled, pulling himself up. "Don't you dare lay a finger on her. I don't know anything about his secret."

"You're just his best friend." He grabbed Pete's jacket. "You know, you can continue to play the hero if you want, but are the skeletons in this kid's closet worth your life?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

"Oh, I think you will."

Loder pulled his fist back to punch Pete hard in the face, making Emmeline wince as she prepared for the blow.

"Loder!"

Emmeline and Loder turned around to find Lex walking out onto the pier. He went over to Emmeline and helped her to her feet.

"Pete, you okay?" he called.

Pete stood up and looked at Lex in horror. "You're the one who's got this guy after Clark?"

"No, but I have a feeling my father did." He glared at Loder. "Didn't he? He found out you were working with me and paid you off. No wonder you were so anxious to drop the case against him."

Loder slowly walked over to Lex as Emmeline quickly went over to stand next to Pete. "You know, I really don't want a morality lesson from someone willing to rat out their own father."

"So how much did he toss in to do legwork on Clark?"

"You know, if I was you, I'd be worried less about this farm kid and worried more about the homicide charges you're gonna be facing when I throw you back to Metropolis P.D."

"Somehow, I'm not too concerned. I bet your, uh, supervisors would be very interested to know about your unique interrogation methods."

"What is it you want, Luthor?"

"I want you to get back to the case you were assigned." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the officer. "That's all the evidence you'll need on my father."

Loder looked down at the paper and smiled a little before looking back up at Lex. "You're making a mistake, Lex." He folded up the paper and walked over to where Pete and Emmeline were standing. "These kids are sitting on something bigger than you or even your dad. Isn't that right, Pete?"

Neither of them answered the man. Loder turned around and tossed the keys to Lex before walking away from the pier back towards his car.

Lex quickly went up to the two teenagers and undid their handcuffs. "You sure you're both all right?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Emmeline said quietly.

"Clark was probably right confiding in you instead of me," Lex said to Pete. He gently put a hand to his shoulder. "He couldn't ask for a better friend. Come on."

The three of them started walking away from the pier. "I thought that guy was gonna kill me," Pete said. "I guess we owe you a thanks."

"I'm sure when the time comes, you'll do the same for me."

Lex drove them both back to Pete's abandoned car, and Pete quickly drove Emmeline back home before her parents got nervous. She would just tell them she stayed the night at Chloe's after working at the Torch and that she fell or something to explain away the bruise.

When they reached her house, she got out of the car and gave Pete a quick kiss. "Hey…" she said when she noticed the look on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Em, there's something I have to tell you," Pete told her.

"Okay, what is it?"

"I…" He took a deep breath and just decided to say it quick like ripping off a bandage. "I'm moving to Wichita with my mom."

Emmeline felt all of the air rush out of her in one breath. "Wait…what? I…I thought you were going to stay with your dad and finish out senior year."

"I was. But…I changed my mind. I just…have to leave. I need a new start and I can do that now if I go with her."

"But…what about us?"

"As much as I'd love to try to do the whole long-distance thing since I think we could make it work if we tried…I'm not going to do that. Because it's not fair of me to do that to you. I don't plan on coming back to Smallville anytime soon, so it's in our best interest to just…"

Pete couldn't finish his sentence when he saw Emmeline's eyes watering. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, but this was much worse than he had anticipated.

"I need to go," Emmeline said quickly as she ran in the house.

Pete let out a sigh as his own eyes began to fill with tears.

* * *

As Pete put the last box in the car, he turned at the sound of a car door opening and closing. There was Emmeline.

"Em, what are you doing here?" Pete asked.

Emmeline smiled a little. "You didn't think I was going to let you leave without me seeing you off, did you?"

Abby looked at the two of them. "I'll just leave you two alone to talk for a minute."

"Thanks, Mrs. Ross. Uh, congratulations on the job."

"Thank you."

Abby turned and went back inside the house to make sure neither she nor her son had forgotten anything.

Emmeline played with her hands. "So, this is it."

"Yeah," Pete answered awkwardly.

"Wichita, huh? Probably won't be as exciting as Smallville."

"Em…" Pete took her hands in his and pulled her close to him so their foreheads were almost touching.

Tears formed in Emmeline's eyes again that she had previously sworn she was going to hold back. "I want you to get that fresh start you talked about, and I'm glad you get that chance…but I would be lying if I said I wanted you to go."

"You say that, but I have not been a great boyfriend to you."

"No, you've been an amazing boyfriend. You were there for me throughout my mom getting cancer, through the whole custody battle, through everything."

"But I have kept so many things from you. You would hate me if you knew how much there is that you don't know."

"Do you mean what Loder was talking about with something about Clark? Pete, if that's not your secret to tell, then how can I be mad at you for that?"

Pete laughed lightly. "You give me too much credit. What did I do to deserve you?" After a small pause, he said gently, "If there was ever a reason to stay, Em, it's you. Look, one day, you're going to meet someone, and you're going to love him even more than you loved me, and you're going to marry him, and it's going to be the happiest day of your life. I'm just sorry I can't be that guy for you."

Emmeline gently hugged him for a long time, unwilling to pull away from him. "Good-bye, Pete."

"Bye, Em."

Emmeline turned and walked away from him back towards her car. She slowed her pace and looked back at her boyfriend. They made eye contact for a few seconds. Before she could stop herself, she ran back towards him and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the lips.

"I love you," she said softly as tears streamed down her face.

"I love you too."

She kissed him again before he forced himself to pull away from her. Abby came back out, and she could not deny that her heart panged for a moment when she saw the tears on Emmeline's cheeks. A part of her could not understand why her son wanted to come with her, but another part of her knew that the past couple of years had been very tough on him and he just wanted to start over. But leaving all of his friends, especially the girl he loved, could not be easy.

Emmeline waved as the car departed from the house. She watched it until it disappeared from sight.

Then she collapsed into sobs on the ground.


	66. Covenant

"Emmeline?" her mother said softly as she peeked her head through the door.

Emmeline didn't turn around as she lay down on her bed, hugging her pillow close to her.

Her mother sighed. Emmeline hadn't left her room in several days and refused entrance to everyone, even Clark and Chloe. She was getting really worried about her daughter.

"I made some lunch."

"Not hungry," Emmeline answered quietly.

"Just eat a little bit for me, okay? How about a grilled cheese sandwich? I know you love the way I make them."

Emmeline turned her head after a small pause. "With tomato soup?"

Her mother smiled at her. "Of course. I'll be right back."

As she went down to the kitchen, she looked over at her husband sitting at the island. "How's she doing?" he asked his wife.

"She's agreed to eat, so it's a start."

"This is getting out of hand, Audrey."

"Hon, this year has been so hard on her. What with her biological mother coming back into her life, and then dealing with the custody case, and now her first love has disappeared on her. Not to mention she had to deal with my cancer for a good portion of last year. It's been tough on her lately, and a person can only handle so much."

"Even still, I don't want her staying in her room as much as she is."

"Oh, please, don't you remember when I broke up with you back in college? You didn't leave your dorm for three days."

"That's beside the point."

She laughed lightly. "Look, we both know our daughter is strong. She's one of the strongest girls I know. But she can also be very fragile. It was only less than three years ago she finally got comfortable speaking to other people. We just need to give her some time and our support. She'll be fine in the end."

"There really is nothing like a girl's first heartbreak, is there?"

"Nothing. But she'll be okay, and we both know it."

"Yeah. She's a tough girl."

"I don't think we tell her that enough."

"We should change that."

* * *

"Mrs. Brooks?" Chloe called through the screen door.

Emmeline's mother smiled. "Hey, come on in, Chloe."

"How's she doing today?"

"She's getting better. Why don't you go on up? I think the company would do her good."

"All right, thanks." Chloe headed upstairs, and her heart broke at the sight of her best friend depressed in her bed. "Hey, Em, it's me."

Emmeline turned her head but didn't say anything.

"I brought some chocolate ice cream with me."

For the first time in days, Emmeline cracked a smile. Chloe handed her a spoon, and the two girls began eating right out of the carton.

Chloe wasn't sure she had ever seen Emmeline look like such a wreck. She had certainly been through her fair share of crap, especially in the past couple of years, but she still held it together overall. Now…her hair was a mess, her clothes were at least three days old, and her eyes were very red and swollen.

"You know…" Emmeline started. "Pete was my first real boyfriend. In fact, I think he was the first guy to ever show interest in me."

"There will be more, Em. I promise. One day, you'll find someone who won't even think about leaving your side. You've got your whole life ahead of you."

She nodded a little, her eyes watering again. "He…was the first guy I ever loved." Chloe looked at her sadly and quickly hugged her tightly. "I'm going to miss him so much!"

She rubbed comforting circles on her best friend's back, wishing she could say something to ease the pain.

* * *

Upon Chloe's urging, Emmeline showered and dressed so she could go with her to the Torch office. Chloe insisted that she didn't even have to do any work, but she just wanted her to get out of the house. She used the incentive that they would later have a movie marathon featuring Christian Bale.

They had been in the office for a couple hours when a familiar but surprising face walked in.

"Mr. Kent," Chloe acknowledged.

"So this is the legendary Torch," Jonathon said with a small smile.

"Yeah. A little less glamorous than you imagined, huh?" She stood up from her desk. "If you're looking for Clark, neither of us have seen a trace of him."

Jonathon held up a plastic bag with a teacup inside. "I was looking for you."

"Something's telling me you're not here to throw a tea party."

"Look, I understand that you're very good at getting to the bottom of things. Do you think you could run the fingerprints off of this for me?"

Chloe took the bag from him. "No problem. Um, is there a name that's attached to the fingerprints?"

"That's actually what I need you to find out for me, Chloe. I need the identity of the last person that touched that cup."

"Okay. Well, if I can get a little more info about the plot of this mystery, it might help to solve—"

"Chloe, as a personal favor to me, please don't press the issue."

Chloe nodded her head a little and picked up her desk phone. "Okay. Yeah. I'll call my guy right now."

"Thank you."

When Chloe noticed he wasn't leaving, she gave him an awkward smile. "It's gonna take a little while."

"Of course."

Jonathon left the office as the two girls watched him. "What was that all about?" Emmeline asked.

"The Kent family is full of secrets. Maybe one day, I'll find out why."

* * *

A couple days later, the biggest trial of the decade and perhaps even the century was scheduled to take place: the trial to determine if Lionel Luthor was going to prison or not.

Both Clark and Chloe were there to testify and even though Emmeline had had her fair share of courtrooms in the past few months, she was going to support her friends and finally see that monster go to prison. It was something that would definitely make her feel better after everything that had happened.

Chloe checked her watch for the hundredth time.

"Relax, Chloe, he'll be here," Emmeline told her. "He may be unreliable sometimes, but he wouldn't miss something this important."

"Doesn't stop me from worrying." They looked over as Lex came into view. "Lex. Clark still isn't here, and the judge says that if he doesn't show up within the next five minutes, he's setting bail for your dad."

"Did you try calling him?" Lex asked.

"Yes, I called him at home and on his cell phone. There was no answer. Something big must've happened because he flaked on Lana too."

That had not been a happy good-bye. Emmeline had had to say good-bye one too many times in the past couple weeks. But nevertheless, Lana was thankful Emmeline still came to say good-bye to her, and deep down, she knew she was too.

A guilty look crossed Lex's face. "Lex, what's going on?"

"Nothing. I'm just hoping Clark didn't change his mind."

"You're his best friend. Why would he do that?" Chloe sighed heavily as Clark appeared behind him. "There he is, just in time to save the day."

"As always," Emmeline added.

Lex went over to him. "Clark, hey—"

Without even looking or talking to anyone, Clark coldly walked past them all and headed inside the courtroom. Emmeline and Chloe exchanged confused glances. Clearly something happened between Clark and Lex that he wasn't telling them.

"Go get him," Emmeline said to Chloe referring to Lionel.

"I will."

The case was a success. Lionel Luthor was condemned to prison. Of course, being the man he was, he still claimed innocence even after all the evidence that had been provided. It didn't matter. That dangerous man was finally being locked away, and he would no longer harm anyone.

"Great job, Chloe," Emmeline said to her friend. "You broke free of him."

Chloe sighed. "Em…there's something I need to tell you."

* * *

As Emmeline sat on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest, she looked out the window. With a heavy sigh, she got up and went over to it, wishing that things were different.

Far away in another part of Smallville, a safety house exploded.

And Clark was nowhere to be found.

* * *

 **And with that, we wrap up Season 3! WHAT?!**

 **To everyone who's stuck with this from the beginning, you're incredible. And to the now 100 people who have favorited, you're all fantastic :)**


	67. Crusade

**Here we go with Season 4! It's going to be a little slow going at first, but there are a lot of episodes this season where I can do some pretty awesome stuff with Emmeline. Let's see how this girl's senior year goes!**

* * *

Emmeline sat across from Martha as they both stayed by Jonathon's hospital bed. He had been found in the Kawatche caves unconscious three months ago and had been in a coma ever since.

Things had gotten very depressing in Smallville. Clark had disappeared off the face of the earth, and Chloe was gone so no one was capable of finding him like last time.

Emmeline had spent a lot of time with Martha at the hospital to provide some comfort for her. It also got her mind off the fact that all of her closest friends were gone.

Her parents had noticed a drastic change in her behavior, and they were pretty worried about her. After three years of finally getting out of her shell, she had begun to retreat back inside it. She hardly ever smiled, and whenever she did leave the house, it was to go to the hospital to be with Martha. While they applauded her wish to be with the woman in such a hard time, they knew that a hospital wasn't the best place to get cheered up.

"'After breakfast, I wanted to talk about the dead man and guess how he come to be killed, but Jim didn't want to'," Martha read to Jonathon. "'He said it would fetch bad luck, and besides, he said, he might come back to haunt us'." A female doctor entered the room that Emmeline was practically on a first-name basis with by now. Martha turned and smiled at her. " _Huck Finn_. Jonathan's favorite."

The doctor smiled sadly as Martha got up and came over to her. "Martha, I wanted to know if you thought about what we discussed."

"I'm not pulling the plug on my husband."

"It's been three months, and there's been no change." Martha sadly looked over at Jonathon. "Jonathan is brain dead. Your insurance is already capped out. You need to think about the future."

"My future is lying in that bed. I will not give up on him."

Martha returned to his bedside as the doctor sighed and left the room.

"I admire your willpower," Emmeline told her. "I'm not sure if I could hold on as long as you have."

"He's so strong," Martha answered. "I refuse to believe he won't fight through this."

"You're incredible. I can only hope one day, I get to have a marriage like yours."

Martha smiled a little. "It's been a lot of work. But I wouldn't trade away a single day of my time with him."

"That's so sweet. I hope he pulls through this."

"It's so nice of you to spend so much time here with him. I mean, I know you're close with Clark, but you're not as close with us."

"I want to be here for you. No one should go through something like this alone."

Martha smiled again. "I'm going to grab some coffee. Would you like some?"

"No, thanks."

"All right. I won't be long."

After half an hour, Emmeline began to question Martha's definition of 'not long'. She exited the room and saw one of the workers she had also become quite friendly with.

"Hey, Antonio," she called.

The orderly looked over at her and gave her a warm smile. "Hey, Emmeline."

"Uh, do you know where Mrs. Kent is? She left the room and never came back."

"Oh, yeah, she left with Clark about 20 minutes ago."

Emmeline's eyes widened. "Wait a minute, what? Clark was here?"

"Yeah, is that bad?"

"Uh…thanks, Antonio, I have to go."

"All right, see you later."

Emmeline left the hospital and went straight to the Kent farm. When she knocked on the door, Martha quickly answered, but a look of disappointment crossed her face.

She quietly sighed. "Oh, Emmeline, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to leave you alone at the hospital."

"No, it's okay. Um, Antonio said that you left with Clark. Is that true?"

"Uh, yeah, he's…he's resting right now. He has a bit of amnesia."

"Where has he been this whole time?"

"I don't know. Maybe I never will.

"Oh. Well, I really need to see him, so just let me know when he wakes up."

"Yeah, I will."

"Thank you."

Emmeline returned to the hospital and took to reading a book by Jonathon's bedside. Sometimes, she would read out loud like Martha did, and sometimes she would just let the beeps of the machines fill the room.

However, towards the end of the evening, everything changed.

Emmeline sat reading her book when Jonathon sprang up in bed with a gasp. The girl shrieked as she shot up from the chair. A nurse ran into the room and immediately started taking his vitals to make sure he was okay.

Emmeline quickly made a phone call to Martha to tell her the miraculous news.

* * *

When the doorbell rang at Emmeline's house, she decided to be the one to answer it.

There stood Clark.

She gasped as she put her hands to her mouth. "Clark?"

"It's me, Em."

She ran forward and threw her arms around his neck. "I missed you so much. Where were you?"

"I can't explain it. But I'm back now."

"Amnesia-free?"

"I don't remember the past three months, but I remember everything else."

"Good enough for me."

"Look…I'm sorry for disappearing on you at a time like this."

"Don't worry about it. If you don't even remember anything, you might not even have had a choice in the first place. You're back now, and that's all that matters."

"I'm going to see Chloe. You want to come with me?"

Emmeline lost her smile. "Sure. Let me grab my jacket."

The two of them traveled to Chloe's grave site. It had been extremely hard for Clark to realize that one of his closest friends had died in such a brutal way. He had missed so much while being Kal-El, and he hated that he would never get any of those moments back.

When the two friends got closer, they saw Chloe's cousin sitting before the gravestone.

"I hate myself for being weak," she cried. "I just knew that the moment I came here, it would make it real. I promise I'll find out who did this to you. Even if I have to do it alone."

"You're not alone," Clark told her.

Lois turned around with an annoyed smile. "A fact you could've shared before you were breathing down my neck."

"I'm sorry, Lois, we didn't know you were out here."

Lois stood up and turned to face them. "I'm glad to see we've moved beyond the 'clothing optional' stage of our relationship."

Emmeline raised her eyebrows and looked over at Clark. He returned her gaze with a sheepish smile.

"Who's this?"

"Oh, this is Emmeline."

"Right." Lois looked over at Clark. "I'm surprised you even remember who I am."

"Chloe's cousin," he smiled as he walked towards her. "Nicorette addiction, can't stand uncomfortable silences."

"I guess this means your synapses are all firing again."

"Look, I can't explain my actions over the past few days. But Chloe was our best friend. You're not the only one who misses her."

"I'm just the only one doing something about it."

"I get the feeling you like to do things yourself."

"My dad raised me to be independent and self-sufficient."

"That would be one way to describe you."

"You know, the only think I like about you at the moment is your mom. You can't possibly be as weird as I think you are with a mom that cool."

Clark smiled at her. "Look, why don't you let me help you find out who did this to Chloe? Come on, you can stay at our house while you're in town. It beats living out of your car."

Lois smiled back with a cheeky grin. "Thanks. But you should know I don't pay attention to curfews, and I never make my bed. I'll give you two some time alone."

Clark and Emmeline looked at the gravestone in front of them.

Emmeline missed Chloe more than anything in the world. The summer had been absolutely terrible without her best friend by her side.

"Lois!" Clark suddenly called.

Lois turned to look at them.

"Chloe's still alive."


	68. Gone

Clark, Lois, and Emmeline hiked up the hill to where Chloe's safe house was.

"I know you find it hard to believe, but trust me," Clark insisted. "Chloe's not buried in that grave."

"How do you know that?" Lois demanded.

"I've learned it's best not to ask where he gets his information," Emmeline told her.

"Look, I want her back more than anyone, but don't you think your hunch is a rung on the whole grief ladder?"

"None of this would've happened if I had been there," Clark said more to himself than to the girls.

"Okay, Commando, I don't get you. Half the time, you're all meek 'Yes, Ma' and 'Yes, Pa', and the other half, you are the most overconfident guy I've ever met."

"It doesn't happen to you much, does it? Not being able to peg someone right away?"

"Oh, get over yourself. You are not that complicated."

Emmeline smiled to herself as she listened to the two of them banter. Most people in Smallville got along great with Clark, but this was certainly the first time she had ever seen someone give him such a hard time non-stop.

The three of them reached the top of the hill to find the remains of the destroyed safe house. Only a few beams and stones still stood while the rest was charred rubble.

"This is Chloe's safe house?" Lois asked quietly.

"You mean what's left of it," Clark answered.

"Oh, Chloe. What did they do to you?" Lois walked through what was left of the house. "What exactly do you expect to find here?"

"I don't know, but the FBI sealed the case, even the autopsy reports. Doesn't that sound a little odd?"

"Remind me if I'm ever a witness not to put my life in the hands of the FBI."

"Well, maybe she got out before the explosion."

"They said she walked inside, Clark. I don't know how anyone could survive this. Look, you may be in denial thinking Chloe's alive, but I'm gonna find out who did this to her."

"Em, what do you think?"

Emmeline avoided meeting his eyes. "I don't know."

He realized it couldn't be easy being in the place where her closest friend had supposedly blown up.

"Let's get out of here, Clark," Lois said, speaking for all them. "This place gives me the creeps."

The sound of a helicopter joined the low rumbles of thunder. The three of them looked up to the sky to find a black chopper soaring over their heads flying low enough to the ground for two people in black suits to descend from ropes.

Emmeline looked over at Clark with wide eyes. Technically, they were trespassing on a crime scene and that was extremely illegal.

"Run!" Clark yelled.

Lois and Emmeline turned and booked it away from the burnt safe house. The same chopper followed them and got dangerously close to their heads.

"Duck!" Lois exclaimed, forcing Emmeline down to the ground with her before they were both decapitated.

Once the chopper had passed, they both continued running down the hill into a cornfield. Lois led them through the narrow gaps in between stalks until they got to the dirt road. The chopper flew down behind them and another man jumped down to the ground.

Before Emmeline could do anything to help, Lois began mercilessly beating up the man with skill that even she hadn't acquired throughout all her training with Lana the past couple of years.

The rear of the chopper overheated and the whole thing had no choice but to touch down onto the ground.

"Lois…" Clark said in surprise when he saw the unconscious man from the chopper.

"Well, don't just stand there, come on!" Lois said with a smirk before racing down the dirt road with the others.

With all the dirt covering their clothes and faces, it was clear they were all going to need long showers.

* * *

The next day, Emmeline headed to Chloe's tombstone to find that things were not as she had left them. The grave was completely dug up. When she got closer, she found Lois opening an empty casket.

"He was right," she gasped.

"What are you doing?"

Lois nearly jumped out of her skin at Emmeline's question. She quickly closed the casket. "Proving that what farm boy said was accurate. Not sure how he even knew this."

"There's a lot of things about Clark that are really hard to understand."

"I'm gathering that."

"Where's Chloe Sullivan?" a male voice asked from behind them.

The two girls turned around to find a teenage boy slowly approaching them.

"Who are you?" Lois demanded.

"You'd better tell me where she is."

Lois hopped out of the grave and pulled a small can of pepper spray out of her purse. Hiding it behind her back, she walked up to the boy with a smirk. "What? The posse couldn't get to me the first time, so the boss sent you?"

Before Lois had the chance to shoot the spray in his face, the boy's right arm morphed into a long sharp blade and knocked her to the ground causing her to lose the bottle.

Emmeline's eyes widened. He was a meteor freak!

Lois back away as his arm came down again and hacked off a portion of a tombstone.

Suddenly, someone hit the boy on the back of the head with a shovel. When he turned around, pepper spray assaulted his eyes and he fell backwards.

Emmeline was surprised to see that their savior was in fact Lana!

"Are you guys okay?" Lana asked as she helped Lois off the ground.

When they looked to the ground, the teenager was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did he go?" Lois questioned. "Medieval psychopath."

Lana looked at the dug-up grave. "I guess you'd have to be in order to dig up a grave in the middle of the day."

"Actually, that was me. It's my cousin's grave." She held out her hand for her. "Lois Lane."

Lana politely shook her hand. "Lana Lang."

Emmeline smiled a little. "This wasn't exactly the reunion I pictured, but it's good to see you again."

Lana smiled as she turned and hugged Emmeline tightly.

"I don't understand, what are you doing back?"

"Something just…pulled me back here."

"Sorry you didn't have a more warm welcome."

"It wouldn't be Smallville without guys like him, would it?"

"Wait, you mean this is normal?" Lois asked.

"Chloe hasn't told you any crazy stories about all the weirdos we see here?" Emmeline smiled.

"One or two, but I thought she was just making all of that up."

"Not here. Here, you'd be surprised what's possible."

* * *

Over the course of the next few days, Clark did everything he was able to in order to find out where Chloe was. His trust in Lex dwindled a little, but with Lois's help, he managed to find her before the meteor freak with the blade for an arm almost killed her.

Unsurprisingly, it was Lionel Luthor who sent the boy after her. All for the purpose of not having anyone to testify at his upcoming murder trial.

The lengths that man went to in order to stay out of prison always astounded Emmeline even though it shouldn't anymore.

Emmeline went down to the courthouse as soon as the trial was over and Lionel was thankfully put behind bars.

The second she saw Chloe, she bolted over to her best friend. For the first time in months, she hugged her tightly and did not release for a long time. Chloe didn't mind and hugged her back just as tight if not more so.

"I'm so glad you're back," Emmeline said quietly.

"It's good to be back."

"You're okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you all right?"

"Things are looking up now."

Chloe laughed, and the two friends hugged again.

* * *

Emmeline walked up the steps to the loft. "Hi, Clark."

"Hey, Em."

"It's been a crazy few days."

"It's funny. You didn't react to seeing Chloe the way I thought you would."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. It was just not what I was expecting."

The more Clark thought about it, the more he realized that Emmeline had been acting really weird lately. Every time Chloe had been brought up in conversation or he had talked about the possibility of her being alive, Emmeline had gone silent and avoided looking at him. It wouldn't have been strange of her if it wasn't just whenever that one subject was talked about.

"You knew Chloe was alive, didn't you?"

Emmeline's heart pounded in her chest. Looking away from him, she answered quietly, "Yeah."

How had he possibly found out she knew? Was she really that terrible of a liar?

"Emmeline, everyone has been devastated about this. I have bent over backwards these past few days trying to prove that she was alive when the whole time, you knew? How could you keep something like this a secret?!"

"For the same reason Chloe and I kept your secret last summer when you were in Metropolis! She asked me to! Except in her case, her life was in danger if anyone knew the truth. I had to promise I wouldn't tell anyone."

"Why did she tell _you_ about this?"

Emmeline paused for a moment, recalling everything that happened three months ago. "I was in a really bad place. My mom moved back to New York, Pete broke up with me, and then Lana moved halfway around the world. And she was worried about what might happen if I believed I lost her too."

Clark didn't say anything. He couldn't decide who he was more angry with. Emmeline for not telling him Chloe was alive, Chloe for not filling him in on the plan, or himself for not being there for Chloe when she needed him.

"It killed me to not tell you the truth," Emmeline told him. "But I couldn't risk Lionel finding out she was alive. It was a huge gamble to even tell me."

Clark knew that Emmeline hadn't really had a lot of options about this whole situation, and she was doing what she thought was right. A part of him knew that she had done the right thing. It didn't mean he liked it.

"It wasn't like I could talk to her at all. I had no way of knowing if she was okay. You know…this summer has just been…awful. Everyone I had become so close to was gone. I just…I felt like I had gone back to all the years where I was alone." Tears formed in Emmeline's eyes which made Clark's expression soften. "I needed you. And you weren't there. You're always there. But you weren't this time. Where did you go?"

Clark came up to her and took her into his arms as she cried. He hadn't realized just how much she had been keeping bottled up. He hadn't realized that everyone Emmeline called a friend had up and disappeared all at the same time. Even if she had known Chloe was alive, to not be able to communicate with her at all and to keep something that big a secret must've been nothing short of torture.

A person could only harbor so much hurt and loneliness before they broke. And when Clark had gotten upset at her, it was enough to push her over the edge.

Clark rubbed his hand against her back as he held her. "I'm so sorry."


	69. Facade

Senior year was full of people who wanted to graduate high school with a bang.

And then there was Lois Lane who had the honor of repeating a semester, having failed her last one which meant she didn't have enough credits to get into college.

Emmeline and Chloe were currently in Lois's car heading to school. Lois had been gracious enough to give Emmeline a ride as well as her cousin. The two girls were ready to give her a tour of her new school for the next semester.

"You know, socially divisive cliques and hall passes aside, this place really isn't all that bad," Chloe tried to explain to her cousin.

"It's the varsity version of Dante's seventh ring," Lois griped as they all got out of the car.

Chloe laughed. "Come on, do you know how many people would kill to relive their senior year in high school?"

"For the life of me, I don't know why," Emmeline put in.

Lois frowned. "Make that semester. Five more credits and I am out of this cow pile."

Chloe looked at her in disbelief. "Wait a minute. Five credits in one semester? Lois, the only way you're gonna do that is if you add an extracurricular to your class list. Like, say, maybe, writing for the Torch!"

"Uh, no hard feelings here, cuz, but unlike you, the last thing I want to be is a reporter."

"Yeah, what could be worse than, you know, uncovering the truth and protecting the public?"

"And sticking your nose in other people's business?"

"Like I said. You'd be perfect!"

Emmeline smiled. These two girls were more like sisters than cousins. Though Lois made her a little uncomfortable at times with her bluntness and overconfidence, she was a nice girl. And since she was her best friend's cousin, she really wanted to get along with her.

"Come on, let's go!" Chloe said eagerly when she saw Lois wasn't following them inside.

Lois quietly groaned and walked into the building.

Chloe threw her arm around her shoulders. "It's gonna be great having you here."

The three of them walked down the halls towards Chloe's locker so she could grab what she needed for the Torch.

When they passed Clark, he was talking to some attractive blonde girl.

"Good morning, Clark," Chloe smiled. "Hey…Abby."

As they continued walking, Emmeline asked, "Who's Abby?"

"Abby Fine? Nicknamed 'Scabby Abby' by a football jock who didn't know what else to do with his life?"

Emmeline's eyes widened as she snuck another glance back at Abby. " _That's_ Abby Fine?" She didn't know Abby personally, but she had seen her around the halls sometimes looking wishfully at passing girls.

"Yeah. Either she spent an entire summer at a silicon farm, or I am shopping at the wrong makeup counter."

"How old is she, 17?" Lois asked in disbelief. "That's like messing with the batter before the cookies are even baked."

"Don't tell me that the world isn't nicer to prettier people."

"Pretty people with confidence," Emmeline added.

Chloe opened her locker. "You know, I mean it's her body and if it makes her feel better, then it's none of our business."

Lois gave her an incredulous look.

"What?"

"I'm just stunned that Miss 'Letter to the Editor' doesn't find it one bit disgusting that a girl would get nipped and tucked to transform into some plastic pod person."

Clark furrowed his eyebrows as he walked up behind her. "I think she looks great."

Lois turned around and gave him a dry smile. "What a shocker. Look, that's the problem with high school. It's all a facade. Everyone's hiding who they really are and trying to be something they're not."

"Well, it sounds like you've got your first article," Chloe smiled. "See you in the Torch."

Chloe, Clark, and Emmeline started to head to the Torch office sending small smirks in Lois's direction.

Lois sighed and quickly followed after them. "Okay, I'll write for you, but you better get me extra credit."

As Chloe and Lois began having a conversation about what was expected of Lois when she wrote for the Torch, Emmeline and Clark began walking next to each other. The overall tension between them was gone and things were relatively back to normal.

"So I saw you looking at the sign for football tryouts," Emmeline said. "Is your dad letting you try out this year?"

"Not exactly."

"But you're going for it anyway?"

"…Maybe. What do you think? I remember you weren't too keen on the idea either."

"Well, it's your senior year and this is your last shot. You may as well take it. What's the worst that could happen?"

Clark knew that there were a lot of bad things that could happen while out on the field, but none that he was allowed to mention.

"You'll have to let me know how it goes. Hopefully, this time, you'll be on the team for more than one game, huh?"

Clark laughed lightly, recalling his unfortunate run-in with the fire-obsessed coach. "I didn't even make it to the game."

* * *

Things took a turn for the worse when Lois accidently hit one of the football jocks and Lana later ended up in the hospital, both of them showing similar symptoms. It seemed that while in Smallville, Lana could not catch a break.

Chloe and Emmeline stepped out of the elevator at the hospital and saw Clark looking through the window of Lana's room.

"Hey," Chloe said. "How's she doing?"

"She's pretty cut up," he answered. "They gave her a sedative, but she keeps saying, 'Don't let him see me' over and over again."

"It's like some kind of breakdown."

"When they brought Brett in, he was acting the same way. The only thing they could find in common is a spike in their serotonin levels."

"Serotonin?"

"It's a brain chemical—"

"That LSD and hallucinogens mimic. It's also the word that Lois misspelled three times in her slander piece on extreme makeovers."

Emmeline smiled a little, recalling how many red marks she had made on Lois's piece. There was more red than ink than usual when she proofread pieces.

"Yeah, but Lana and Brett are hardly candidates for plastic surgery," Clark continued.

"Yeah, but Abby was. Didn't Lana say she saw Brett with Abby right before he went crazy? Maybe this procedure made her more beast than beauty."

The three of them went to the Torch office to see if they could get more answers.

"Wow," Clark said as they stepped inside and saw mounds of papers all over the place. "You kind of let the inner slob out, huh?"

"Yeah, and her name is Lois," Chloe told him. "She's been pulling these articles that Abby's mom published on this new breakthrough insta-makeover technique, but, uh, Dr. Fine ran into one snag." She picked up one of the articles Lois had printed out. "It's sending the patients' serotonin levels into overdrive."

Clark took the article from her and skimmed over it. "It says here Dr. Fine was working on a suppression medication called Serythro to keep the serotonin levels in check. Maybe it worked. Maybe Abby was a trial run."

"Only Abby's seismic surgery didn't come without aftershocks. She's passing something to people that's super-boosting their serotonin."

"I guess trying to change the body so much at one time comes with a price," Emmeline remarked.

"That makes sense if she kisses Brett, but what about Lana?" Clark asked

"I don't know," Chloe answered. "All I do know is that Abby's not hallucinating, so maybe all Lana and Brett need is a dose of that Serythro medication." She picked up Lois's planner that had a pink sticky note on it that read, 'Dr. Fine, appointment Sat 10:30 AM'. "It looks like Lois is one step ahead of us."

* * *

Clark managed to save Lois from a psychotic Dr. Fine who held beauty a bit too high up on a pedestal. Then Brett and Lana got the necessary medicine to knock them out of the hallucinations. Lois's story about the whole affair made the front page of the Torch.

Chloe smiled as she caught Lois reading over her work. "Admiring the genius within, huh?"

Lois folded up the paper. "It had a typo."

"Oh, nice try. The paper hasn't had a single typo ever since Em became our proofreader. She never misses a thing. Anyway, I followed up on the Abby storyline, and it looks like Mother Makeover is gonna be playing 'mirror, mirror' on the psych ward wall from now on."

"Is Abby gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, she'll be back next week. So are you excited for your first pep rally?"

"Hmm, not exactly the Friday night I've been dreaming of."

"Oh, come on, it's your debut as Smallville's newest celeb."

"Yeah, right. One 'Plastics 'R' us' piece, and they're gonna be holding tables all over town for me."

Emmeline realized just how much the two girls talked alike. It was almost scary.

"You'd be surprised. I mean, not that I'm ceding my stance on a woman's right to choose rhinoplasty, but…" She handed Lois several sheets of paper. "…you've got fan mail. Looks like your little exposé struck a couple chords."

Lois scoffed a little in surprise. "I didn't even expect anybody to read this, let alone have a…'life-changing experience'? Please."

"Whatever. Say what you want, but I know inside, it's getting to you. Welcome to the bullpen, Miss Lane." She started to walk away down the hall. "Now, I'm off to see Clark Kent in a wet T-shirt. Care to join me?"

Lois smirked and followed after her. "Like I've never seen that before."

"You coming, Em?"

Emmeline gave her a small smile. "Uh, you two go on ahead. I've got some work I need to get done."

"Suit yourself. I'll see you later."

Emmeline sighed heavily as she watched Chloe and Lois depart down the hallway. Then she turned and headed back to the Torch office. She decided to do a little housekeeping and clean up the horrendous mess Lois left behind.

She didn't want to be at the pep rally, not even if Clark _was_ going to be there in a wet T-shirt. She didn't like being in the large crowd…and the pep rally just reminded her how excited Pete had always been to go to them.

She really missed him.


	70. Devoted

"Hey, Em!" Clark called as she passed by his locker.

She smiled at him, taking note of his new letterman jacket. "Hey, Clark. Nice jacket."

"Do I sense sarcasm?"

"It doesn't really suit you."

"What? I like it."

"Well, if you like it, then that's all that matters."

The two of them were broken out of their conversation when they heard Lois's angry voice over yet another phone call with Metropolis University.

"Well, yes, I'm sure that we could work this all out if you could just get him to call me back. Thank you!"

She angrily shut her cell phone as Clark and Emmeline joined her.

"You know, if you spent as much time studying as you did trying to leave, you'd be in college already," Clark told her.

Lois turned to face him and gave him a thin smile. "And where'd you get that pearl of wisdom? The Farmer's Almanac?"

Clark fake-laughed before showing off his jacket. "So, what do you think?"

"They're not really your colors."

Emmeline smiled up at him since Lois has basically agreed with her about the jacket.

"They're the school's colors," Clark told a retreating Lois.

"I'm glad you made the team, Clark, but why be a conformist? At least with the whole farm boy plaid thing, as lame as it is, it completely belongs to you."

It was Clark's turn for a thin smile. "In the future, let's restrict our conversations to 'hello' and 'goodbye'."

Emmeline smiled again. The banter between them was really something else, and it was never going to get old.

That was when the three of them noticed something strange. Two cheerleaders passed them while two other football players carried their purses and pom-poms for them. Later down the hall, a cheerleader overloaded a player with tons of books that looked like they were going to fall in a second while her friend gave another player her sweater to fold for her. Still further down, a player held a mirror for a cheerleader as she put make-up on.

"Where are we, some kind of freakish feminist parallel universe?" Lois exclaimed.

The three of them entered the Torch office where Chloe was working on the next issue.

"Hey, Chloe, have you seen the way these football players are acting?" her cousin asked.

Chloe didn't look up from what she was working on. "Yeah, and I noticed one of them unloaded a shotgun in the boys' locker room. I was thinking about maybe doing an article on it, but the only two reporters I have are late again." She finally looked up at them. "Oh! Hi. It's you."

"I'm sorry. I was storming the gates of Metropolis U trying to get them to change their admissions policy."

"And I had to pick up my new jacket," Clark explained. "What do you think?"

"Not exactly your colors," Chloe answered.

Lois cleared her throat while Emmeline gave him a pointed look. It was now three against one.

"It's the school colors," Clark said again.

"Whatever. Anyway, Lois, I need you to go to the Smallville Medical Center. Apparently our gun-toting ex-quarterback woke up this morning and he's the feeling the sting of his second-degree burns. He's been apologizing nonstop, so…"

"I'm sure he doesn't love the prospect of playing tight end for the Kansas State Boys' Home," Lois said with a smile. Her phone started to ring and she quickly took it out and answered it. "Hello? Yes, I will hold for the dean." She quickly whispered to Chloe, "I've got to go," before bolting out of the office.

"All right, I guess I'll go to Smallville Medical Center. Clark, I need to you to talk to Coach Teague. After all, you were there. Nice save, by the way."

Emmeline went to her desk to begin her work and get the next issue out.

Clark looked at Chloe sheepishly. "Actually, Chloe, with this whole football thing, I'm gonna have to dial back my time at the Torch."

Emmeline paused her activity and turned to look at him. This wasn't good. Clark working at the Torch meant everything to Chloe. It was the one thing they could do together.

Chloe looked at Clark in surprise and smiled to mask her hurt. "Oh. I guess I've got my work cut out for me."

"I'm sorry. You know, my priorities…"

"You know what? Don't worry about it. This has got to be a pretty big deal for you. I mean, you're the new starting quarterback, right? It's got to be pretty exciting."

"It is, but…I'm just not sure the other guys want me around."

"They've been playing together for three years. You're on the team for two weeks, and all of a sudden you're starting. What did you expect, hugs and kisses?"

Later that day, Chloe and Emmeline headed down to the football field to get interviews for the psycho football player story. Chloe has tried to get Emmeline to take care of one of the interviews, but the sight of Emmeline's panicked face forced her to retract the question.

Chloe ran up to the new assistant coach. "Coach Teague. Hey."

"Hey," Coach Teague said with a small smile.

"I'm, uh, doing a story on the Torch on Dan Cormier and I was just wondering if I could talk to you for a little bit."

"Can it wait? I'm in the middle of practice."

"It's only gonna take, like, two seconds, I promise."

"I'll do it later."

"Okay."

"I will."

"Okay."

"Don't worry," Emmeline said to her dejected friend. "This story will get done. And if Clark is smart, he'll realize that the Torch is important to you and that you need him to do his part."

Chloe sighed as she headed over to the drinks table to watch practice. "This day is certainly not going the way I thought it would."

"Well, I'm still here, aren't I? I know I can't be of much help with the interviews, but give me anything else, and I'm all for it."

"I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit. Didn't you once threaten someone on my behalf?"

"Every time I think about that moment, my stomach is in knots. I can't believe I did something like that…"

"I thought it was very admirable of you."

"Well I'm glad you think so. Because it probably won't ever happen again."

Clark passed by the drinks table in his uniform and Chloe quickly caught him. "Hey, Clark! Hi. I know you're not exactly journalistically inclined right now, but I was just—"

Clark pushed past her. "This isn't a good time, Chloe."

Chloe sighed again. "Right. Priorities."

She set her notebook on top of the cooler and grabbed a small plastic cup before filling it up with the green liquid. She took a small sip of it, and a bright almost goofy grin spread out across her face.

"Clark…" she said dreamily.

Emmeline furrowed her eyebrows. "Um, Chloe, are you okay?"

Chloe smiled at her. "Come on, let's head back to the office."

"But I thought you wanted to interview Coach Teague."

"Nah, I don't need it anymore."

Chloe took off towards the school before Emmeline could question her further. When they got back at the office, they saw Lois already inside.

"Hello!" Chloe greeted happily. "Uh, look, I'm gonna need you to run with that psycho quarterback story. You might want to interview his girlfriend, Mandy. She's a cheerleader."

Lois smiled thinly as Chloe handed her a notepad. "Hi, I'm busy trying to get out of Mayberry."

"That's fine. Do whatever you want. You and Em are in charge now. I'm quitting the Torch."

Emmeline's eyes widened. "You're doing what?"

Lois bolted over to her. "Whoa! Wait. Quitting? Why?"

"I finally understand why it never worked with Clark," Chloe smiled.

"Okay, I'll bite."

"Because I was never there for him! I was always here buried in this stupid school newspaper. I wasn't devoted to him. But that's all gonna change now." She started taking down pictures from the Wall of Weird.

"Please stop with your crazy talk! You can't quit because, seriously, I need the credit, and…how many anvils are you gonna let this guy drop on you?"

Chloe turned and looked at Lois angrily, the goofy grin she had been wearing for 20 minutes finally disappearing. "You know what's crazy? I actually thought you'd be happy for me. Now that Lana and Clark are finally a thing of the past, I may actually have a shot at this. Why are you getting in my way?"

Emmeline and Lois glanced at each other at the sudden Mr. Hyde Chloe pulled.

"Fine," Lois relented. "Looks like I'm gonna be covering the pom-pom beat."

"Thank you."

Lois left the office while Chloe went back to removed pictures from the Wall.

"Uh, Chloe," Emmeline said nervously. "I've been in charge of the Torch once before, and it did not go well. Please do not do this to me again."

"Relax, just have Lois do everything, and you can do things behind-the-scenes like normal."

"Why this sudden change?"

"I'm not going to hold back anymore. Do me a favor and just support me in this."

"Right."

* * *

The next day at football practice, Lois and Emmeline went up to Clark when he got a break.

"Hey," Lois said firmly. "What did you do to my cousin? She's freaking me out."

"Nothing," Clark insisted. "She's hitting on me."

"Well, obviously you sent some kind of signal that you were interested."

"Look, Lois, I got a big game coming up, and I'm trying to make a good impression here, all right? So could we talk about this later?"

"Hey! Hey, Clark! Hi!"

The three of them turned and saw Chloe running up to them…wearing a cheerleading uniform.

"Oh, boy," Emmeline mumbled.

Chloe finally reached them wearing a large lovesick grin. "Hi, Clark! Hi! Ta-da! Hi!"

"Chloe," Clark greeted uncomfortably. "What's up with the cheerleader outfit?"

"I found it in the storage locker. I thought, you know, what better way to support my new favorite starting quarterback than to join the cheerleading squad? We can be together all the time!"

"…Yeah."

Chloe looked over and noticed Lois and Emmeline's presence. Her smile faded. "What are _they_ doing here?"

Lois and Emmeline looked over at each other. Why would Chloe have such a problem with them being around Clark? It just added to the many questions about her mysterious change of attitude.

"Hey, Kent! Some time today!" Coach Teague called from the football field.

"Good luck!" Chloe exclaimed. "Bye!" She blew him a kiss and stepped to the sidelines.

Lois looked at both of them in disbelief. "She's taken the fast train to Stepford."

"I need you both to keep her away from me," Clark told her.

"With what? A tranquilizer gun?"

"There's obviously something wrong. I just need some time to figure it out, okay?"

"Okay."

Lois walked away to try to handle the problem her cousin was causing.

Meanwhile, Emmeline followed Clark to the water cooler. "You know, Chloe tried to hide it, but she was pretty disappointed you weren't going to be at the Torch very often."

"Yeah, I know, but I can only do so much. And I only have one more year to do this football thing."

"Maybe so, but the Torch was the only thing Chloe could do with you."

Clark guiltily poured a small glass of the green liquid from the cooler and drank it. A few seconds later, he keeled over and began gagging and coughing.

"Whoa, Clark, are you okay?" Emmeline exclaimed, quickly putting her hands on him to steady him. "What happened?"

Her first assumption was that he had simply choked on the drink, but she had never seen anyone react this way to swallowing something the wrong way.

"Kent," Coach Teague said harshly as he walked over to him. "What's wrong with you?"

"Coach, I'm not feeling very good," Clark answered breathlessly. "I think I better leave."

"You're gonna walk away because you don't feel well. You know, maybe I was wrong about you, Kent."

"Coach, I…"

"You know, your team's waiting for you out there. Are you a leader or not?"

Clark painfully headed towards the field.

Coach Teague stopped one of the players walking towards the field. "Tell the rest of the guys they got a green light on Kent. I've been too easy on him."

The player smiled and ran towards the others.

Emmeline looked at the coach in concern. Was he really telling the other players to basically torture their own teammate? She knew they didn't all get along, but that was going a bit too far. And for a coach to actually give that order?

Something was seriously wrong with everyone.

Emmeline proceeded to watch the players utterly destroy Clark. Chloe cheered maniacally on the sidelines doing random cheers of her own and calling out things that were ridiculously out of character for her.

Emmeline winced with each blow Clark received. She hadn't seen anyone able to tackle him so forcefully in a long time.

This was going to be a long practice.

* * *

Emmeline and Lois were about to head out later that night when they ran into Clark.

"What are you doing here?" Emmeline asked.

"I'm looking for Coach Teague. He just attacked me in my loft."

"He did what?"

"After that performance on the field today, I'm not surprised," Lois told him. Clark stopped walking, not amused. "I'm kidding."

"Look, the cheerleaders are spiking the water cooler at practice. That's why Chloe and the players are acting so weird."

"That makes sense," Emmeline said. "Chloe started acting strange right after she took a sip of whatever is in that cooler."

"Nice work, Smallville," Lois remarked. "You want to know what they're using?"

Clark looked at her in disbelief. "You actually did some investigative reporting?"

Lois grabbed his arm and pulled him into the Torch office. "My cousin goes Martha Stewart without the jail time? Yeah. Suddenly, the power of the press interests me." She opened up a folder and showed it to him. "Look what I found."

"Mandy and Rhonda did a science fair project together. So?"

"So that's our smoking gun. According to the chemistry teacher, they researched a hormone called phenylethylamine."

"Phenylethylamine?" He took the file from her and looked through it. "'The Love Molecule'."

"Exactly."

"So it's a love potion?"

"Yeah, but it didn't work."

"Until they added the meteor rock."

"Naturally," Emmeline put in.

"We have to find a way to reverse the effect."

"Well, it must wear off at some point," Lois explained. "Otherwise they wouldn't keep juicing the football players."

"We don't have enough time. What if another player goes into a jealous rage and hurts someone?"

Lois's brow scrunched together in confusion. "Wait a minute. You drank some of it, too. Emmeline and I saw you. How come you're not going all love slave?"

Clark looked at her blankly for a moment. "I don't know. What's your point?"

"That science report's in Mandy's faux Prada bag. Presumably, it can tell us how to reverse this, right? And presumably, you're infected. The cheerleaders are having a pool party tonight. How do you look in a swimsuit, Clark?"

Clark's eyes widened when she realized what she was getting at.

The three of them headed to the Smallville pool where various cheerleaders and football players were either swimming or socializing. The players all had goofy grins on their faces and were doing random things from serving food to dancing with hula skirts and coconut bras.

"Okay, Clark," Lois said. "Faux Prada bag, folder, show time."

"Lois, I don't think—"

"Go."

"Lois—" Lois gave him another shove. "Okay."

Clark looked back at them nervously and Lois urged for him to get moving. He slowly walked in front of Mandy.

"Hi, Mandy."

"Hey, Clark," Mandy greeted. "Welcome to the party."

Clark glanced back at the two girls. Mandy turned to see what he was looking at, but in order to prevent her from seeing Lois and Emmeline, Clark grabbed her shoulders and kissed her.

"I'm devoted to you."

Emmeline raised an eyebrow. Someone couldn't act under pressure.

Lois discreetly went up behind Mandy and attempted to take her bag.

Mandy lifted up Clark's shirt to examine his stomach. "Yeah, I can work with this."

Emmeline rolled her eyes. Mandy was even shallower than she had thought.

Mandy took Clark's hand and grabbed her bag. Then she quickly sauntered off away from the others.

"Lois!" Clark whispered in a panic.

Lois urged him to keep going.

"Now what?" Emmeline asked.

"We…follow them," Lois answered. "We've gotta get that folder."

Lois and Emmeline followed Clark and Mandy to the exercise room. The two girls discreetly entered making sure to stay out of Mandy's sight. It wasn't hard since she was really taken with Clark.

"Oh, you're so strong!" Mandy breathed in between her passionate kisses that Clark clearly did not return.

Clark smiled nervously but then caught himself. "You're so beautiful."

"I'm so grossed out," Lois whispered.

Emmeline smiled at her comment. She quietly laughed when Mandy tossed Clark's towel away and it hit Lois in the face.

Mandy moved Clark to another machine and straddled him. "So, tell me. If you like me so much, what are you gonna do for me?"

"I'll buy you dinner." Clark looked over at Lois who shook her head. His eyes widened, questioning what she wanted from him. "Cook! I'll cook you dinner."

"Oh, that is so hot!"

She continued to kiss him almost ravenously.

Clark removed Mandy's bag from her shoulder and tossed it towards them, wildly pointing to it to get their attention.

"You seem distracted," Mandy remarked.

"Um, I'm just nervous."

"Why?"

"I've, um, never done what I think we're about to do before."

Emmeline grimaced. As hilarious as it was to see Clark in such an uncomfortable situation, this was starting to get a little painful to watch. And like Lois had mentioned earlier, it really grossed her out.

While Emmeline continued to hide, Lois snuck around the desk and reached for Mandy's bag. Suddenly, Mandy stood up which forced Lois to duck under the desk. Mandy grabbed her bag again before lying down on the desk and forcing Clark to climb on top of her.

Emmeline had to wonder what kind of person worried about their bag while making out with someone.

Clark once again took the bag and shook it by the desk. Then he let it drop and it hit Lois on the head.

"Ow," Lois exclaimed quietly.

"What?" Mandy asked.

Clark tried to cover up Lois's exclamation with pleasure noises. Mandy laughed and mimicked the noises he was making.

Emmeline pretended to retch.

Mandy removed Clark's shirt and dropped it off the desk. That too fell on Lois.

Lois quickly scurried out from under the desk. Then she looked over at Emmeline and waved at her to follow her out of the room.

The two girls discreetly left out of the other door to leave Clark to handle Mandy.

Poor Clark.

The door led to a boiler room. Mandy laughed behind them.

"Gross," Lois remarked.

"Seconded," Emmeline added.

Lois set down the bag and pulled out the folder. "All right.

Suddenly, she was struck from behind with a wrench. To their shock, it was Chloe.

"OW! Chloe, what are you doing?"

Chloe swung the wrench at her again. "I know what you're both up to! I went through this with Lana, and I'm not gonna go through it with you!"

"Do what?!"

"Steal Clark!"

"Chloe, stop!" Emmeline yelled. "Don't you remember that deal we made when we first became friends?"

"The deal's off, backstabber!"

She came at Lois again who tried to dodge all of her swings.

"Chloe, this is stupid!" Lois exclaimed. "I don't want to hurt you!"

Chloe groaned as Lois threw her to the ground. "Too late. You already did."

Lois sighed and did a spin-kick to Chloe's chest. Chloe stumbled back and burned her hands on the door to the boiler. She cried out in pain and sank to the ground. The two other girls quickly knelt down next to her.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry!" Lois cried. "Are you okay, Chloe?"

Chloe sat up and looked at them with a confused face. "Yeah. What happened? What's going on?"

Lois and Emmeline looked at the boiler before sharing a glance. They knew how to break this 'spell'.

The three of them hurried back to the exercise room.

"So, how far do you want to go here?" Mandy asked.

"Um…"

"Right about there would be great, thanks," Lois answered for Clark.

Mandy sighed in annoyance and hopped off the desk. Clark quickly grabbed his shirt and ran behind the three girls, almost as if they would shield him from Mandy.

"Chloe, you okay?" he asked as he put his shirt on.

"Yeah, fine."

"I can't believe you, Clark," Mandy said with crossed arms.

"Oh, please!" Lois exclaimed. "Do you know how pathetic it is that you had to resort to chemicals to control your boyfriend?"

"I'm sick of being a distant second to a football."

"So you created a bunch of psycho nut-jobs." She looked over at Chloe. "No offense."

"None taken," Chloe answered.

"What, uh, what took you so long?" Clark asked.

"Oh, they were attacked by a, uh, crazy plumber."

"Did you find the cure?"

"Yeah, we worked out our own little experiment," Lois explained. "I accidentally burned her on the furnace in the boiler room and she snapped out of it."

"Just like Dan snapped out of it when the gun heated up."

"Exactly," all three girls responded.

"So it's the heat."

Chloe turned around and saw they were alone. "Uh, you guys, where's Mandy?"

"Oh, nice, Clark," Lois remarked. "You know, you only had one thing to do."

"Me? You're closer to the door."

"Okay, so it's automatically my fault?"

"Uh, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys," Chloe quieted them once Mandy came back into the room.

"Oh, hey," Lois smiled. "We were just talking about you."

"Yeah?" Mandy said. "Well, now you're gonna wish you never crossed me."

"Yeah? What are you gonna do? Cheer us to death?" A few large-muscled football players joined Mandy holding baseball bats. "Oh, great. Here comes the love squad."

"Let's get out of here," Clark insisted. "Come on, Lois."

Lois ignored him and looked at Mandy threateningly. "Bring it on, hotshot."

One of the players stepped forward and swung his bat at her. She dodged it before kicking him in the stomach.

"Lois, what are you doing?" Clark exclaimed.

"Hey, Clark, do you got any explosions up your sleeve?"

The player Lois had kicked stood up again. "You're gonna pay for that."

Suddenly, the pipe above them broke and hot steam sprung down onto the players breaking them out of their trance.

"Okay, what was that?" Lois asked in disbelief.

"I guess the pipe must've broken or something," Clark answered. "Pretty lucky, huh?"

"Yeah. You better hope for that kind of luck tomorrow on the field."

Clark rolled his eyes at her.

* * *

Emmeline sat in the stands at the big football game. She wasn't really a sports person and she didn't prefer the crowds, but since her best friend was the quarterback, she wanted to show her support.

After a short huddle, the team broke and took their positions. Clark got the ball and tossed it all the way to the end zone where another player caught it and won the game.

The players hefted Clark up onto their shoulders as he removed his helmet.

He met eyes with Emmeline, and she gave him a broad smile.

Emmeline realized how happy Clark looked out on that field. He really wanted this more than anything. He may not have as much time for the Torch now, but if he looked that ecstatic, who was she to talk him out of it?

After all…she really liked his smile.


	71. Run

**This was another one of those episodes where there was really nowhere for Emmeline to go (luckily, there aren't a whole lot of those this season), so this is pretty much filler again. Sorry.**

 **However, I've gotten a lot of ideas for future episodes in the season, and some may or may not include some ClarkxEm moments for all of you loyal shippers. :)**

* * *

"Are you okay?" Chloe asked Emmeline as they made their way to the Talon.

Emmeline blinked a couple times as if coming out of a daze and looked at her best friend. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, that response for one thing. You've been acting aloof and out of it all week. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"I'm fine, Chloe."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm okay."

"Okay. But you know that if there's anything wrong, you talk to me."

"Yes, I know."

"Good."

The two girls headed inside the café and saw Clark talking to another boy around their age. He looked antsy, like he could never sit or stand still if his life depended on it. He looked at Clark almost like an excited fan who got to meet his dream celebrity. It was kind of cute.

"What's up, Kent?" Chloe smiled. "We thought you'd still be in Metropolis playing detective."

"Right, I heard about your dad getting robbed," Emmeline said quietly, uncomfortable in the presence of the new boy.

"I thought I'd leave that one up to the authorities," Clark said, his gaze firmly landing on the boy behind them. There seemed to be a bit of negative insinuation in his voice hinted towards the boy. For what reason, Emmeline didn't know.

"Never would've caught him, anyway," the boy smirked.

"Chloe, Em, this is my friend, Bart. He's from—"

"The future."

"Really?" Chloe smiled skeptically.

"Yeah. I ran all the way back in time to tell you that we're still in love a hundred years from now."

Was that supposed to be a pick-up line? Chloe laughed out loud, so she must've liked it. Emmeline had heard better. On TV, at least.

"Bart…" Clark groaned quietly.

"What's your favorite kind of flower, Chloe?" Bart asked.

"Uh, tulips," Chloe replied. She grinned up at Clark for a moment when she felt a small burst of wind hit her face. When she looked back in front of her, Bart held up an orange tulip with a small smirk. "How did you do that?"

"Magic."

"Wow."

"You want to see some more?"

"Clark!" Martha called, motioning him over.

Clark headed over to her, but not before whispering to Bart, "Knock it off."

Chloe and Bart made their way over to one of the couches against the wall. Emmeline went up to the counter and ordered her usual vanilla bean frappuccino. She leaned against the counter as she sipped the drink.

"Em?"

Emmeline jumped a little and looked to see Clark standing next to her. "Hey."

"What's up? You looked lost in your own little world there."

"Not the first time that's happened though."

"Right. Look, I've gotta head to Lex's, so can you just…keep an eye on those two?"

Emmeline looked over at Chloe and Bart. "Yeah, sure."

"Thanks."

Clark took off outside the Talon.

Emmeline felt tears come to her eyes, but she quickly forced them back before anyone asked what was wrong. She had already passed off the question several times, but it would be harder to do so if someone saw her crying.

She finished off her drink just as Chloe came over to her. "Hey, ready to go?"

"Where's your friend?"

"Oh, he's nice but so not my type," Chloe laughed.

Emmeline smiled a little. "Sorry."

"He's so…overconfident."

"I picked that up rather quickly."

Chloe giggled. "You win some, you lose some." Her smile disappeared when she noticed that Emmeline wasn't really joining in. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm all right."

"Look…it's clear something's off, and if you don't want to talk about it yet, that's fine. But I know you too well to know when you're not okay."

Emmeline nodded. "I can't."

To Chloe's surprise, Emmeline bolted out of the Talon leaving Chloe to wonder just what was going on in her best friend's life that she couldn't talk about.

* * *

Emmeline slowly walked up the steps to Clark's loft. "Hey," she said quietly.

Clark smiled warmly. "Hey, Em."

"What happened to your friend?"

"Bart?"

"Yeah."

"You definitely can't tie him down to one place. He took off."

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

Clark smiled a little. "He'll be fine. I think he's had a bit of a change of heart."

"Anyone who is your friend has a change of heart."

"I wouldn't say everyone."

"Okay, maybe not everyone, but you certainly have a way of influencing people. What's your secret?"

"Good parents to raise me."

Emmeline's eyes darkened. "Right. I, uh, I need to go."

She quickly turned and began making her way back to the steps.

"Wait. Em!"

Emmeline froze, but she didn't turn around.

"Clearly something is really wrong. You've been acting strange for days. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"No, I can't…" she said so quietly, he almost didn't pick it up.

"Why not?"

"Because if I say it out loud…it'll be real."

Clark took a few steps toward her. "What will be real?"

"…My mom visited the doctor last week, and we've been waiting for results."

"Did you get them?"

"Three days ago."

"And…?"

Emmeline took a shaky breath and turned around, her face ashen. "The cancer came back."

Clark's eyes creased together in concern. After everything he'd gone through in the past year with his dad, he could only imagine what it felt like to receive news like that.

"They don't think that she's going to make it this time."

Suddenly, everything made sense. Why she had been so worried and drained all week and why she had been so reluctant to tell anyone the reason.

"They gave her less than a year."

Clark rushed forward and held her. She cried harder than he had ever seen her cry before. He could not even begin to imagine how she was feeling. To be told that your parent had a timer on their life and it was quickly clicking down? There were very few things that were worse than being told that.

He also knew there was absolutely nothing he could say to console her. With all his powers, he felt so powerless.

At a time like this, all that he could do was hold her and let her cry it out.

This girl was one of his closest friends. He felt like he could tell her anything (barring his powers), and she would understand how to handle what it was he was dealing with.

Lately, it seemed that life really had it out for her and there was nothing he could do.

His heart broke for her as her cries echoed out across the loft.


	72. Transference

When Chloe and Emmeline walked into the Torch office, they didn't expect to see Clark sitting at one of the computers. Nor did they expect to see him in a nice dress shirt rather than his usual plaid.

"What, is flannel too five minutes ago?" Chloe asked jokingly.

Clark didn't answer, and his face looked hard like he wanted to murder someone.

Chloe set her books down and looked at the desk Clark was sitting at. The corner had been completely broken off in a mess of wood and splinters.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed. "Who pulled a Paul Bunyon on the desk?"

"It was that way when I got here," Clark answered flatly.

"Weird."

Clark leaned back in his chair and smiled suavely. "You know, Chloe, I'm concerned about your well-being."

"Oh, yeah? Why's that?" Chloe asked from her desk.

Clark swiveled around in the chair to look at her. "If Lionel Luthor managed somehow to get out of prison, what do you suppose he'd do? About you, I mean."

Emmeline furrowed her brow and looked over at her friend at the completely out-of-the-blue question.

"Why? Has the Lionel Luthor alert suddenly been elevated to orange?" She gave him a confused glance when he didn't answer. "Do you know something I don't?"

Clark wheeled the chair over to her desk. "No. But it always pays to be cautious."

"Well, I'm not exactly shaking in my sneakers. I mean, he won't be eligible for parole until he's, like, 112 so…"

"You never know," her friend said smoothly as he stood up. "He could get out sooner than you think."

"Are you trying to get at something?" Emmeline asked. "What's all the talk about Lionel all of a sudden?"

Clark smiled at her, but she detected a certain…coldness in his eyes. Considering what she had confessed to him a couple days ago, the coldness was extremely out of character for him. His whole demeanor in the past two minutes was out of character.

"Just raising questions you both should think about."

Chloe laughed nervously as Clark walked toward her and she backed away from him. "Yeah, well, I think maybe our quarterback has been sacked one too many times."

"Maybe. I do feel as though I'm looking through a different pair of eyes. I certainly see you in a whole new light."

"Um…I think I'm going to go refill the newspaper stands," Emmeline said awkwardly, eager to get out of this increasingly tense situation.

She quickly left the room, but she stood just outside the door to listen in on what the heck was going on.

"Uh…what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Chloe asked Clark.

"I have to confess that I…I find you absolutely fascinating. It's that twinkle in your eye…your wonderfully sexy smile…and your skin is…"

"Clark, what are you doing?"

"What I've wanted to do for a very…very long time."

There was an extended pause, and Emmeline almost peeked in to see if they were kissing.

But before she could, Clark lowly said, "Don't you wish."

None of what just happened made any sense. Emmeline knew for a fact that Clark did not like Chloe in a romantic way. When she had been hit by the cheerleading love potion, Clark had confessed to her that he didn't feel the same way she did about him. She was pretty certain that his feelings hadn't changed so drastically in a matter of days.

On the unlikely chance that they had, the way he had described Chloe didn't really fit with Clark's speech. He could barely say the word 'sexy' in everyday conversation, much less say it to someone he had an attraction to.

And he would _never_ tease someone like he had just done. He wouldn't dangle what someone wanted right in front of them and then snatch it away, especially something like Chloe's desire for him to see her as more than a friend. It wasn't who he was. It was too cruel.

"Miss Sullivan," Clark said as he headed out the door.

 _Miss Sullivan_? Emmeline mouthed in confusion.

Why would Clark call Chloe Miss Sullivan?

Her eyes widened.

Clark exited the Torch office and without looking at Emmeline, stated, "It's rude to eavesdrop, Miss Brooks."

Emmeline attempted to quickly pull herself together. "I just wanted to ask you something," she said as she put on a small smile to mask her emotions.

"What?"

"Um…remember when we first met and I got my first taste of meteor freak? Oh, shoot…what was that guy's name? Remember? The weird one?"

Clark smiled at her again, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Earl?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right!" she said as if the memory had come back to her. "He _was_ a weird one."

"Right."

Clark briskly walked away from her.

Emmeline couldn't calm her racing heart. While Earl had indeed been a meteor freak and was not the most normal person she had seen, he wasn't her first one.

There was no way Clark would forget his name either. Not after saving her from him and helping her through the trauma that followed.

But she had a pretty good idea of where that guess had stemmed from.

She knew where she needed to go.

* * *

Emmeline took a deep breath as she entered the visiting room of Kansas State Penitentiary. This was pretty much the last place she wanted to be. She would rather give a presentation than be here.

Well…maybe not give a presentation…

Lionel Luthor sat at one of the tables. His eyes visibly widened when he saw her.

"Em," he said quietly. Then he quickly corrected himself. "Uh…Miss Brooks."

Emmeline's heart beat faster at the slip-up. She slowly approached the table but didn't sit down.

"There's something I want to ask you," she said to him.

"Okay."

"When Clark and I first met, what did he save me from?"

There was a small pause, and then Lionel let out a small relieved sigh before answering, "Greg Arkin. He had mutated into a bug boy and went after you in order to mate with you. I found you in his treehouse and brought you back home."

Emmeline gasped quietly and took a seat across from him. "It's you."

"Yeah, it's me, Em."

"How did this happen?"

"I don't know."

"Well, do you know how to…reverse it?"

"Maybe. What's happening out there? How did you know it wasn't me?"

Emmeline sighed. "To put it simply, Lionel is ruining your life."

"What do you mean? What is he doing?" She was about to answer but he stopped her. "No, actually, maybe it's better I don't know."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Why not?"

"It will just raise too many questions that I don't know how to answer, and you know how Chloe is about that."

"Okay, well if and when you get back, just know that it's not going to be a warm welcome."

"I'll take note of that. Please be careful now. Lionel probably knows you're on to him."

"You're right. I'll watch out for him."

"Ma'am, your time's up," the guard said to Emmeline.

"Okay," she answered quietly. She turned back to Clark/Lionel. "Watch yourself in here."

"I will," he told her.

She slowly got up to leave.

"Hey, Em?"

She turned back around.

"I'm glad you realized what happened."

Emmeline smiled at him and left the prison.

* * *

Alone for once in the Torch office, Emmeline found that it was impossible for her to focus on proofreading with the fear that Lionel could still be waltzing around as Clark.

Soft footsteps approached the office. She looked up to find Clark with a plaid red shirt on. She quickly stood up.

"Em, it's me."

Lionel wouldn't know to call her Em. But it wasn't enough.

"Prove it."

Clark paused for a moment, trying to think of something that only the two of them knew.

"Remember the Nicodemus flower? After you recovered, I took you out to a cliff and helped you to live out your deepest desire. The two of us went to the edge and we just let out a scream."

Emmeline went up to him and hugged him. "Thank goodness."

"Well, you were right. I was not gratefully welcomed back."

"You could just tell them what happened."

"I can't, Em. You have to understand that this has to stay between us."

"Okay. I trust your judgment. Chloe's pretty angry, huh?"

"Not just Chloe."

"Well…if it's any consolation, I'm not mad."

"It's nice to know that at least one person isn't out for my blood." He smiled a little. "You know…you were the only to know that it was really Lionel. I mean, Lex figured it out, but only because Lionel went after him and asked him for 57 million dollars before basically telling him he was his father. But you…he didn't do that with you, and you still knew."

"You're my best friend. Of course I knew."

"You say that, but Lana and Chloe didn't figure it out."

"Well…maybe I know you better than they do. Or maybe I was just looking for the answer more than they were."

"Whatever the reason…thank you."


	73. Jinx

Thanks to Clark, the Crows got to have the chance to play in the upcoming championship game.

However, the victory was not on Clark's mind. He had accidently tripped during the game, something that had never happened to him in his entire life without kryptonite, and broken an opponent's collarbone. Now he was suspected of using steroids. He wasn't, of course, but if he didn't figure out what made him trip soon, he wouldn't be able to play in the championship, and the Crows would have a really hard time winning without their quarterback.

While all that was going on, Chloe, who was a little less upset about Clark/Lionel's actions, was writing an article on bookies and gambling.

Their newest foreign-exchange student, Mikhail, was the source she used for research seeing as he was Smallville's latest bookie.

"Please do not tell me you are falling for him," Emmeline sighed.

Chloe laughed lightly. "I mean, he is cute, but I'm not really into gamblers. And from the looks of his grades, he won't be getting into Ivy League anytime soon."

"You hacked into his reports?"

"Come on, a foreign-exchange student comes to Smallville and you think I'm not going to research him?"

"Good point. But wait, I thought he was here because he got that scholarship from the Luthors. Isn't that only for people who basically have a 4.0 GPA?"

"Yeah, that's what makes him so interesting. Why would the Luthors overlook the hundreds of straight-A students for someone who is barely making Cs?"

"Wall of Weird material?"

"No, but I'm not ready to take my blinders off just yet."

* * *

The next day, Chloe and Emmeline walked into the Torch office to find Clark watching a re-run of the last football game the Crows won. Particularly the part where he tripped and crashed into the other player.

He paused the video when the two girls walked in.

"It's all right, Clark," Chloe told him. "You can stay."

"I thought you had some self-imposed restraining order against me," Clark said awkwardly. "Does this mean you're talking to me again?"

"No, this just means that I'm willing to take a chance on getting your Dr. Jekyll side today." She looked at the TV and noticed what he was watching. "What's up with the self-flogging?"

"I'm watching the sports editor's tape of the game, trying to figure out what happened, but…it's like I had no control, like my mind was sending one message, but—"

"But your body was getting another."

"Yeah."

"It's Mikhail."

"The foreign exchange kid? Mix-uh…"

"Mxyzptlk. Say that three times fast. He's our new resident puppet master." She paused and looked away from him. "This is kind of embarrassing, but he made me kiss him."

Emmeline and Clark both raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"Made you," Clark said doubtfully.

"Yeah," Chloe told him, a bit distressed that he didn't believe her. "It was just like how you explained your trip. It was like someone else was controlling me."

"Okay, but why would he want me to throw the game?"

Chloe went over and sat down in front of her computer. "Clark, he is the biggest bookie in the school."

"The power to control the odds."

"Let me do a search on his name." When she typed his last name into the search bar, no results showed. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Mxyzptlk didn't bring anything up."

Clark came up behind her. "What's that?"

Chloe looked under the search bar and words popped up that read 'Did you mean Kltpzyxm?' "It's Mikhail's name backwards."

She clicked on 'Yes', and a creepy painting appeared on the screen. A large black cat walked down a path while a village burned in the background. People on the sides ran around in a panic.

"It looks like a nursery rhyme gone bad," Clark remarked.

"Yeah. It's some legend from the Piatore region in the Balkans. That's near where Mikhail's from."

Chloe stood up and Clark took her place at the computer. "It says the region has been terrorized for centuries by a bloodline of people who have…who can control the hand of luck."

"It's not exactly luck if they're controlling people. What does it say about the backwards name?"

"The family changed their name a century ago and fled the area to escape the stigma after the village mysteriously burned to the ground."

"Looks like Mikhail's still running from his heritage." She came back over to him. "It doesn't exactly say how to stop the kissing bandit, does it? Oh, here. According to the legend, the only thing that stopped them was a plague of locusts."

"There may be one other force they didn't count on. Think about it. Who brought him here in the first place?"

"Lex," Emmeline answered. "You think he could send Mikhail back to where he's from?"

"It's worth asking. If he brought him here, he could easily deport him."

* * *

Emmeline walked up the stairs to Clark's loft. "Hey."

"Hi, Em. How's your mom?"

"It's tough, but we've accepted it. Now we're just trying to help her do everything she wants to do while she can."

"How are _you_?"

"Well…I finally told Chloe and Lana, so they know. I guess I know that it's not going to do me any good moping about something I can't change. I'm upset and I know that I'm really going to miss her, but I'm also going to make sure that I really enjoy the time I have left with her."

"I can't imagine what this must be like."

"It's hard. But…it helps to know that even when she's gone, I won't be alone."

She gave him a small smile, an action Clark returned.

She kept forgetting how much she liked his smile…

"Oh, look," a voice said, cutting them both out of the moment. "A real live American football superhero."

They both turned to find Mikhail walked up the steps.

"What are you doing here?" Clark demanded, taking a small step forward so Emmeline was behind him.

"I came here to thank you for ratting me out to Lex. It wasn't hard to figure out. I knew Chloe would squeal, just not to him. She's too proud. You seem to be the common denominator, so you forget games are my business. So if you don't know the players, you cannot guess the outcome."

"I thought you'd be halfway back to the Village from Hell by now."

Mikhail smirked. "I'm not cursed, Clark. I am lucky. And on Saturday, the championship game, I'm going to be very lucky."

"If you think I'm gonna throw that game for you—"

"If? When there is an 'if' there are odds, and I always beat the odds."

Clark opened his mouth to argue with him.

"Choke."

Clark suddenly clutched his throat and collapsed to the floor of the loft, unable to breathe.

"Clark!" Emmeline exclaimed as she knelt down next to him. "Stop it, you'll kill him!"

Mikhail came down to their eye level. "For example, the odds in the championship are based on your playing. If you don't go out on the field, then my profit margin takes an unfortunate turn. That is why you're not going to tell anyone else about me and you are going to be on that field…unless you want to see more of your buddies in the hospital." He smirked over at Emmeline. "Like this beautiful one right here."

He reached out to touch her face, but she swatted his hand away. For a moment, she feared he was going to use his powers on her. But he just smirked again and got up to walk towards the stairs.

She frantically turned back to Clark who was starting to turn red from lack of oxygen. She didn't know what she was supposed to do for him. The Heimlich? CPR? How could she use that when he was choking on nothing?

Mikhail turned to look at them. "Breathe."

Clark inhaled sharply as his breath returned to him. Emmeline sighed in relief and watched as Mikhail took off out of the loft.

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline stepped out of the Torch office just as Clark passed by.

"Chloe," he said as he touched her arm.

"Hey," Chloe said.

Coach Teague walked in between them. "Clark, warm up in 15 minutes."

Clark looked back at Chloe. "I sure hope you had better luck with the locusts than I did with Lex."

They all began to walk down the hall. "The last time I checked, they weren't selling biblical plagues on Amazon, but since every legend is born in the seed of truth, I did look up our favorite apocalyptic critters."

"Besides eating crops in a single bound, what else can they do?"

Chloe handed the file in her hand to him. "Well, when locusts swarm, they emit an energy wave to avoid crashing into each other. Maybe Mikhail's commands operate on a similar frequency, you know, like a radio signal."

"Or a dog whistle. The sound travels, but the human ear doesn't pick it up."

"Yeah. Now, what's interesting is that once locusts' signals are jammed, they can't fly anymore without running into each other. It's permanent."

"Well, maybe all we have to do is find something that will jam Mikhail's frequency for good."

"And I think I know just where to find that. So now we just have to find him."

"Well, in his quest for the great American dream, he's got a lot of bets riding on this game. He'll be here."

"Okay."

"I gotta go." He quickly handed her back the file.

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

Emmeline looked over at her best friend. "Are you sure this will work?"

"No, but this is all I've got."

"I hope it does. You didn't see Clark last night when Mikhail went after him. He only had to say one word and it almost killed him."

Chloe sighed heavily. "Even the all-mighty Mr. Kent doesn't have a chance against him. Come on."

The two girls walked down a long hallway near the locker rooms. They came to a small room that housed many electronics and wires. Using Chloe's techno knowledge that Emmeline still didn't fully understand after all this time, she hooked a frequency device up to one of the electronic boxes.

Then she pushed the dial up and a red LED light moved up the small screen as the frequency emitted out onto the field.

Through the window in the room, the two girls could see the game. From what it looked like, no unexplained actions happened and it seemed that their trick had worked. Mikhail was powerless.

"Fancy toy!"

They both looked up and saw Mikhail storming into the room. He angrily ripped the wire out of the frequency device.

Chloe pulled her fist back to punch him.

"Stop," he commanded.

Chloe punched him anyway. Emmeline smiled.

"Looks like someone's been broken," Chloe taunted him. "Kind of sucks when you have to play fair, doesn't it?"

Mikhail grabbed her by the coat and slammed her up against the wall. "Yes, well, in my country, you do not survive if you cannot adapt to the unexpected."

He pulled out a switchblade and switched it open right under Chloe's face.

 _Well, in America, we expect the unexpected, freak_ , Emmeline thought.

She quickly kicked the switchblade out of his hand and punched him hard in the face. Then she delivered a spin-kick to his stomach.

While he was down, Mikhail retrieved his switchblade before kicking Emmeline in the gut. He pushed her back against the wall hard enough for her to hit her head. She slumped against the wall unconscious.

* * *

So far, the championship game was going great. The Crows just needed one more touchdown to win.

Clark hadn't had any more unplanned trips so whatever Chloe's plan was, it must've worked.

That is until he heard his name called.

His heart sank as he turned and saw Mikhail behind him. "What are you doing here?"

Mikhail held up Chloe's press pass and Clark felt his stomach flip. "Here's how the last play in my game works. If the Crows score another touchdown, Chloe and Emmeline are dead. If you don't go back out on the field right now and lose the game, Chloe and Emmeline are dead."

Mikhail walked away from him as Clark's mind raced, frantically trying to figure out what to do in the next two minutes. If he lost this game, he let his teammates and Smallville down. Everyone was counting on them to win.

If he didn't, Mikhail would kill his two best friends.

Clark walked back onto the field and started the next play.

He threw the ball towards his teammate just as someone on the opposing team ran to tackle him.

Then he began to super-speed to the sound control room where Mikhail was holding Chloe and Emmeline captive.

Clark pushed Mikhail, who was ready to stab Chloe, away from his friend. Then he broke the chains to the handcuffs on Chloe. Emmeline was unconscious and he swore that if Mikhail had hurt her, he would make him pay.

He quickly sped back to his place on the field where everything resumed as if he had never left.

He allowed the opponent to tackle him, but his fellow player caught the ball he had thrown and scored a touchdown.

The Crows won.

* * *

Back inside the sound control room, Chloe furrowed her eyebrows together. Her chains were undone and Mikhail had been thrown across the room.

When had that happened?

She quickly went over to her unconscious friend. "Em? Hey. Em."

Emmeline's eyes fluttered open.

"Are you okay?"

She groaned and put her hand to the back of her head. "I'm going to be feeling this for a while." She looked around her and noticed that Mikhail was knocked out on the other side of the room. "What happened?"

Chloe looked at the broken handcuffs. "I have no idea."

* * *

That night, Chloe and Emmeline showed up at the Kent home and knocked on the door before entering.

"I don't know what it is with you, but no matter how many times I put you in the penalty box, it never sticks," Chloe smiled.

"That's because it's not possible to stay angry at someone like Clark Kent," Emmeline laughed.

"We hear you're quite the hero tonight"

"Yeah, well, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have won the game," Clark told her.

"Yeah, well, you can thank Uncle Sam for that." When she noticed Clark's confused expression, she quickly added, " _My_ Uncle Sam. It's amazing the access a three-star general has to cool toys. And you never know when a jamming device for stealth fighters will come in handy at a football game."

"Because of that jamming device, Mikhail can't control anyone anymore."

"Awesome." She pulled herself up to sit on the counter. "But what I don't understand is how I miraculously came untied."

Clark paused for a moment. "And what I don't understand is how you get sucked into anything besides anonymous tips."

"Well, we all have our weaknesses, I guess. Except for you of course."

"Oh, he has a weakness, all right," Emmeline smirked as she playfully nudged him. "And its name is Lana Lang."

Clark laughed uncomfortably. If only she knew that he had a much bigger weakness to worry about…


	74. Spell

Emmeline was certainly excited to celebrate her best friend's birthday. But she was not eager about the sheer amount of work that went into it.

Of course, Lois planning everything didn't really help because she was going crazy trying to make everything perfect.

Lois, Chloe, and Emmeline headed up to the apartment space in the Talon to see if they could find Lana.

"Hello?" Chloe called as they opened the door.

"Oh, you are home," Lois said when they saw Lana at the counter. "I've been calling, but no one answered."

The three girls looked at the strange array of objects situated on the counter. Several lit candles sat among multiple jars of liquids of varying colors. There was also a mortar and pestle in the bunch.

Lana walked over to them. "Well, I've been kind of preoccupied. Science project."

"From what century?" Chloe asked.

"It's a whole retro thing. I'm trying to recreate some of the stuff they did back in the 1600's."

"Oh."

Lana looked at Chloe and Emmeline for a moment. "I really think you two are going to like it."

"Oh, I left my phone in your car," Lois said to Chloe. "Do you mind?"

"Oh, no, no worries," Chloe answered. "This whole smell of science is making me crave an aromatic latte anyway, so I'll just meet you both downstairs with your cell phone." She turned and waved to Lana. "Bye."

"Bye," Lana smiled.

"Thanks!" Lois called. Once Chloe was out of the room, she angrily whirled around to face Lana. "What's the matter with you? You and Emmeline were supposed to take Chloe shopping so that I could finish everything with the party."

"Right. Must've slipped my mind."

"Well, get some traction. Little Miss Reporter there? She can smell a ruse a mile away."

"I'm actually kind of surprised she hasn't figured it out yet," Emmeline said.

Lois turned to face the door. "I'm going to need some serious help to keep her from ferreting out whatever it is we're planning tonight."

Lana reached up and plucked out a strand of Lois's hair.

"Ow!" Lois exclaimed as she turned to face the girl.

Lana looked at the hair. "Oh, no, no. That's no good."

"Well, yeah, not since you pulled it out!"

"It was gray."

"I don't have gray hair."

Lana raised her eyebrows at her.

Lois paused and nervously looked up at her bangs. "I'm just gonna use your bathroom for a second."

Lois quickly took off for the bathroom.

"Any reason for the hair pull?" Emmeline asked.

Lana looked at her for a moment. "Scrapbook," she finally said. "For Chloe's birthday."

"Are you okay? You're acting kind of weird."

"I'm perfect."

"Okay, well, since you seem busy here, I guess I'll take Chloe shopping. Good luck with the…science project."

She exited the apartment before Lana could grab one of her hairs.

* * *

That night before the party, Lana requested to see Lois, Chloe, and Emmeline out in the woods behind the barn where the party was being held.

Lois quickly plowed ahead while Chloe and Emmeline took their time.

"Why do you think Lana wanted us out here?" Chloe asked.

"Beats me," Emmeline answered. "She's been acting weird all day."

"I mean, it's not that weird for her to do a science project exploring another time period."

"Yeah, but it's not just that. Her whole attitude was different."

"I think you're looking too much into it."

"I have a tendency to do that."

But if the whole Lionel/Clark switch was anything to go by, it was usually a good thing she did.

The closer they got, they could hear Lana and Lois conversing with one another.

"I thought it'd be nice to get together with my girls before the party," Lana said.

Chloe and Emmeline finally joined them, but the last statement had not escaped Chloe's notice.

"What party?" she asked.

Lois looked at Lana hardly. "Way to ruin the surprise."

"Oh, you mean the party that you've been planning for the last month?"

"I told you she figured it out," Emmeline said.

"You know about that?" Lois asked.

"Oh, hello. Investigative reporter," Chloe laughed. "Nothing gets past me. Except why we're playing wood nymph when there's a party waiting for me with my name on it."

"Then we'd better hurry," Lana smiled. She took out four glasses from a picnic basket and handed one to each of them. "A toast, in honor of this special night."

Lois smiled a little. "All right. This is getting better."

Lana filled each of their glasses with a drink from, strangely enough, a flask.

"Um, what is this?" Emmeline asked.

"Oh, don't worry," Lana smiled. "It's non-alcoholic. I'm not asking you to break the law for me." She smirked as she finished filling their glasses. "No matter how much time passes, old friends are never forgotten."

Chloe smiled. "I'll drink to that."

"Cheers."

"Cheers," the three girls responded.

They all clinked glasses and drank the liquid. All of them except Lana.

As the three girls drank everything in their glasses, the wind picked up around them. Lois blinked heavily before passing out on the ground as Chloe and Emmeline threw their heads back and began gasping heavily.

When they stood upright again, they looked around them in confusion.

Lana/Isobel smiled and looked at Chloe. "Madeline."

Chloe/Madeline smiled back at her.

Lana/Isobel looked over at Emmeline. "Briana. Welcome to the 21st century."

"How did we come to be here?" Chloe/Madeline asked excitedly.

"The last spell I cast before Wilkins condemned me to the pyre. My blood entwined with the symbol in the book which called to my heir. And when she touched it, I gained possession of her body and brought you back."

"I'm gorgeous!" Emmeline/Briana laughed. She happily touched Emmeline's breasts. "Look at these!"

"Yes, they're very nice," Lana/Isobel said shortly.

Chloe/Madeline sighed happily. "Ah, the woods of France. I'd know them anywhere."

"We're in Kansas, Madeline."

"Where?" Emmeline/Briana asked.

"The Americas. I am unsure as to why I was resurrected here. It was not of my intention, but…"

"The book!" Chloe/Madeline exclaimed. "Do you have it?"

Lana/Isobel smiled and looked over the picnic basket. Sitting in it was her bright red spell book. "It is ours once again. And with it, our magics. Now we may continue our quest for the stones of—"

"Oh, uh, is that the same quest that got us burned at the stake?" Chloe/Madeline interrupted.

"That was not pleasant," Emmeline/Briana added.

"A small toll to travel the road of ultimate power," Lana/Isobel told them. "You have your hosts' memories. Use them to navigate this world and help us to seize the power."

Emmeline/Briana looked over at an unconscious Lois. "And what of her?"

"Fear not. She shall remain asleep so long as we possess these bodies."

The three witches left the woods and headed to the party…but not before getting into something a little more their style.

Lana/Isobel slid open the barn door to reveal that they were all wearing very tight, low-cut black dresses and knee-high black boots.

"Surprise!" everyone exclaimed happily.

Clark furrowed his eyebrows when he saw what they were wearing.

"We don't have time for this," Lana/Isobel said impatiently.

"Time is the only thing we do have," Chloe/Madeline laughed. "Isn't that what you said right before the angry mob set us on fire?"

"You're really not gonna let that go, are you?"

Clark went over to Emmeline and pulled her aside. He tried not to stare at her. It wasn't the first time he had seen her like this since she had worn similar clothing when affected by the Nicodemus flower. However, she had become a bit more…developed since then.

"The guy from Princeton's gonna be here any minute. Why are you so late? And where's Lois?"

"I took the scenic route," Emmeline/Briana told him. She eyed him up and down. "Love the view."

Clark looked at her in disbelief. "Please tell me you haven't been around any flowers lately."

Emmeline/Briana merely smiled at him.

She left his side and went over to the other girls.

Chloe/Madeline happily ate some of the food set out. "The food is so good in this century!"

"And the men actually bathe," Lana/Isobel added.

Emmeline/Briana looked at a guy who passed by her. "And their bodies are so hard!"

Lana/Isobel started making her way towards the door. "But we have definitely had better celebrations. This is appalling."

"We could change that," Chloe/Madeline told her.

The witch smirked a little. "Well, it has been 400 years. Perhaps a little fun before we continue our quest."

The three of them turned and pointed their hands at the guests inside the barn. Pink energy formed at their fingertips.

" _Liberate bestia_!" Lana/Isobel exclaimed.

And thus began a party that no one was going to want to remember.

Several attendees stripped down to their bras, underwear, and/or boxers. Including Clark.

The three witches enjoyed every minute of the wild party they had started, dancing seductively with several of the guys.

Unfortunately, a representative from Princeton arrived to interview Clark…and found him wearing just boxers and dancing wildly with Lana/Isobel and Chloe/Madeline.

Not the impression Clark had been hoping to make.

* * *

The next night, Lana/Isobel left a message for Clark to be at his barn at midnight.

He arrived earlier than expected, hoping to find out what on earth was happening to Lana and why she had attacked Jason earlier.

"You're early," Lana/Isobel smirked as the three witches stood at the top of the steps to the loft. "You're not planning something devious, are you, Clark?"

"What did you do to Lex and Jason?" Clark demanded.

"Nothing compared to what we're going to do to you."

Emmeline/Briana raised her hand. " _Surgite_!"

A large wooden wheel slammed into Clark's chest and sent him flying backwards. He stood up unharmed.

The three witches quickly came down the stairs.

Clark faced the three of them. "I don't know what's going on, but this needs to stop before it gets out of hand."

"So you're more than just fast," Lana/Isobel smiled. "Well, that'll make this a whole lot more exciting."

Chloe/Madeline took a step forward. She held her hands out before bringing them together. " _Incede_!"

Several farm tools rose up and began flying towards Clark. He used his heat vision to shoot all of them away from him.

The three witches lost their smiles.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," Clark said to them.

"Your magics are impressive," Lana/Isobel said sharply.

"Magic?"

"But so are mine. _Evertere_!" Clark rose up into the air and began shaking in pain. "We have traveled through the ages to complete our quest, outwitting death itself! We will not be outdone by some farm boy with a few tricks!"

Lana/Isobel lowered her hand, and Clark fell to the floor, blood and bruises on various parts of his face.

Chloe/Madeline and Emmeline/Briana quickly knelt down next to him, pinning his arms to the ground.

"He's not what he seems, Isobel," Chloe/Madeline told her.

"I can feel his power," Emmeline/Briana added.

Lana/Isobel took a step forward. "Then perhaps we should rid him of it."

Clark desperately looked up at Emmeline. "Emmeline. You gotta help. I know you're in there."

Emmeline's eyes briefly switched color. "Clark?"

Clark nodded. "Listen to me. You gotta help me."

The color of her eyes changed again. Her head rolled to the right and cracked.

The girl looked over at Lana/Isobel. "How did she do that?"

Lana/Isobel looked at her distressfully. "Their relationship must be deeper than we thought." She glared down at Clark. "You must be very close with this girl for you to temporarily bring her out of my spell."

She angrily ripped open his shirt. She put her hands to his bare chest and began chanting in Latin. Beams of light emitted from his body and sailed out of the barn.

Clark passed out from the exertion the whole process had on him.

Lana/Isobel stood up. "It is done. His powers are gone."

* * *

Clark opened his eyes and found that his hands had been chained above him. His whole body hurt, and he could feel fresh blood dripping down his chin and cheeks.

"He awakens," Emmeline/Briana remarked.

"What have you done to me?" Clark asked weakly.

"We made sure you were no longer a threat…sorcerer," Chloe/Madeline smirked.

"I'm not a sorcerer."

"You're not? You sure?"

"No," Lana/Isobel said quietly. "He's something else. Something special. I could sense it when the magics were ripped from your body. I can taste it on you. The three stones of power. You know of them, don't you?"

"I've never heard of them," Clark muttered.

Chloe/Madeline and Emmeline/Briana walked up to Clark and seductively ran their hands across his bare chest.

"You've done more than hear of them," Chloe/Madeline said. "You've touched them."

"We can feel it," Emmeline/Briana added.

"There's more," Lana/Isobel remarked. "You know where one of them is hidden."

Chloe/Madeline smiled at him just like Chloe normally would. "Tell us where it is, Clark."

"Please tell us," Emmeline/Briana said sweetly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Clark told them.

Chloe/Madeline sank her fingernails into his skin hard enough to draw blood. "Let me cut it out of you."

Clark screamed in pain as she dragged her nails down his chest.

"No!" Lana/Isobel yelled.

Chloe/Madeline quickly pulled her hand away from Clark.

"There are easier ways to get what we want."

Chloe/Madeline backed away from him, licking the blood off her fingers.

Clark looked over at Emmeline/Briana. "Emmeline, I know you can hear me. You have to fight. You can do it!"

The girl's eyes changed color again. "Clark!" she exclaimed.

She started towards him when her eyes changed back and her neck cracked.

"How is she doing this to me, Isobel?" Emmeline/Briana demanded of Lana/Isobel. "She's trying to take back control of me!"

"You are stronger than she is," Lana/Isobel told her harshly. "Fight it."

If there was one thing Briana knew not to do, it was make Isobel mad. But she didn't know how the girl she was possessing was able to fight back so well. Why wasn't the girl Madeline was possessing doing the same thing?

Lana/Isobel slowly began making her way over to Clark. "This body I inhabit. You have desires for it, don't you? Well, it desires you too, Clark. Very, very much." She softly kissed him on the lips. " _Demonstra_."

She kissed him again and pink mist came from Clark's mouth.

"The cave…" Clark's voice whispered from the mist.

Lana/Isobel smirked at him. "Thank you, Clark. You've been very helpful." She held up her hand. " _Abige_!"

In a bright pink flash, the three witches vanished before his eyes.

* * *

Clark headed to the caves by cutting through the woods.

He stopped suddenly when he saw Lois unconscious on the forest floor.

"Lois?"

He knelt down and shook her head. There was not even the slightest trace of movement. The only thing that told him she was even alive was the fact that her chest was moving up and down.

He gently picked her up and carried her back to the barn. It proved to be a little more difficult than usual since he was still weakened at the loss of his powers, but he successfully managed to get her up inside the loft.

Once Lois was safely on the couch, he resumed his trek down to the caves.

* * *

Lana/Isobel ran her hands over the symbols in the caves. "It begins to make sense. Why I was resurrected here in this time a thousand miles from my home. It was destiny." She walked over to one of the walls where she knew the stone was inside. "Can you feel it? Calling to us. The first stone of power lies behind this wall. And with it, our magic shall increase tenfold. And when we possess all the stones, we shall walk on earth as gods among men. Reach out and seize what was meant to be." She opened up her spell book and pointed to the wall. " _Murus scinde_!"

The wall opened and the caves were flooded with bright light.

The three witches began chanting in Latin as they walked inside the chamber.

In the middle of the room was an altar where the first stone rested.

Lana/Isobel smiled. "All of our suffering, all of our pain and persecution. It ends tonight."

"And our future begins," Emmeline/Briana said. "I will be thankful when I do not have to fight for possession of this body any longer."

"Take it, Isobel," Chloe/Madeline told her. "Lead us to glory."

"The first stone," Lana/Isobel smiled. "How I've dreamed of this moment. And at last, it has arrived."

She slowly reached for the stone, but the sound of a shotgun cocking stopped her.

"Not quite," Clark said.

Lana/Isobel smirked at him. "You shouldn't have come, Clark."

"Silly boy," Chloe/Madeline taunted.

"We owe you a debt for revealing this chamber to us. We were going to let you live."

Clark held up the shotgun. "I'm sorry, Lana, but I can't let you do this."

"You don't have a choice!" Emmeline/Briana yelled. She waved her hand at the gun and it went flying out of Clark's hands.

"Bear witness, Clark Kent, to the dawn of a new age!" Lana/Isobel announced.

She quickly grabbed the stone off the altar. Immediately, the stone began to shine brightly. She screamed and dropped it as it burned her hand.

Clark grabbed the stone as it fell from the altar. Blue beams of light entered his chest, and his wounds healed all at once.

Emmeline/Briana stared at him in confusion. "His powers are restored."

"How?" Chloe/Madeline asked.

"I'm not from around here," Clark stated.

"It doesn't matter," Lana/Isobel said firmly. "We took them from you once before. Do you really believe that this time will be any different?"

"I'm counting on it."

Clark shot beams of heat vision at the book in Lana/Isobel's arms. The book slowly began to burn.

Lana/Isobel's eyes widened. "NO!"

The whole chamber was engulfed in bright white light that expelled from the book.

Then everything went black.

* * *

Inside the loft, Lois sprang up on the couch.

She looked around her for a moment, trying to gain her bearings.

"How the heck did I get here?"

* * *

Clark was the first one to come to inside the caves. The girls quickly followed suit.

Emmeline sat up. "Why are we in the caves?"

Chloe looked at the dresses they had on. "And _what_ are we wearing?"

Clark helped Lana off the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Clark, what happened?" she asked him.

"Well, let's just say that you haven't been yourself lately."

Emmeline got a good look at her dress and felt extremely self-conscious at just how low it dipped.

She quickly crossed her arms over her chest and didn't move them until she changed.

* * *

"I hear you threw quite the rager," Emmeline said as she entered the barn to find Clark still cleaning up everything.

Clark smiled a little at her. "Do you remember anything?"

"Not really. It's kind of like trying to remember a dream. I feel like I almost have it, but then just when I'm close to remembering, it's gone."

"Trust me, I doubt you want to remember what happened."

"Why? Did I do anything weird?"

"Judging from what you were wearing, you can probably answer that one yourself."

"I've seen some weird things in my time here in Smallville, but getting possessed by a 17th century witch definitely tops everything."

"You know…you were the only one who snapped out of it."

"I did?"

"Only for a few seconds, but yeah."

"Wow. I don't remember that, but I believe you. How did I come out of it?"

"Well, I…I kind of called for you. I told you to fight against her. And you did."

"I only snapped out of it when you called for me?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. I guess even this Isobel woman is no match for our friendship."

Clark looked at her thoughtfully. "Yeah."


	75. Bound

Lex Luthor had been on the news for a lot of things.

Murder was not one of them. Until now, at least.

Emmeline may not have known a lot about the young Luthor, but she was pretty certain that murdering someone wasn't his forte.

Chloe and Emmeline walked into the Torch office and found Clark typing away at one of the computers.

"Where have you been all afternoon?" Chloe asked.

"I went to go see Lionel at the prison," Clark answered.

"Why? Are you backlogged with your community service hours or something?"

"No. Look, um, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but Lionel gave me a lead in Lex's case. He said that I could probably find the girl's car at the hotel, and I think I did. Check this out." He handed her a piece of paper. "There were 22 cars that were checked into the hotel valet that night after 10 PM when Lex said he left the opera. Now, of those cars, all but three were hotel guests, and of those three, two belonged to guys who had too much to drink at the hotel bar."

"Leaving one."

"Exactly, but I haven't been able to trace her name or address."

"Why am I not surprised? Let me try."

Clark stood up and let Chloe sit at the computer. "You know what the weird thing is? The police aren't even looking into this."

"Well, of course not, Clark, they think that Lex is guilty and they've already got their man." She turned the chair around to face him. "But don't you think it's possible that this is all just a set up? I mean, Lionel Luthor goes all Hannibal Lector and tells you what to look for and where to find it?"

Clark shook his head. "I don't think so. Look, I can't explain this, but something happened to Lionel in prison. I think it changed him."

Emmeline made eye contact with him. She knew he was referring to the whole body switch that had happened, but she found it hard to believe that something like that had changed such a horrible man. It didn't make sense.

Though she didn't know the whole story, Chloe clearly felt the same way.

"Clark…" she started skeptically.

"And what if he really can help?"

"Clark, he's the master manipulator. You cannot trust him, okay?"

"I have to second with Chloe," Emmeline put in. "And no one would know more about not trusting Lionel than her."

"And besides, Lex is in great hands. I mean, he's got Corinne Harper leading his defense. They call her 'The Barracuda'. What he really needs is a good publicist. Have you seen this?" She handed Clark the daily newspaper. "The police have interviewed over 13 women that have slept with Lex in the last year."

Clark's face fell.

"What's wrong?"

"Lex told me that this little one night stand was something that never happens."

"And you believed him?"

"I gotta believe somebody, Chloe." He looked at the computer screen behind her as a page popped up. "There it is."

The three of them looked at the information on the vehicle from the hotel.

"Eve Andrews," Chloe read, "age 28. Lives in Metropolis."

When they looked around them, Clark was gone.

Shocker.

* * *

Clark later returned to the office that night with news that Lex had gone to the address at the same time he did to burn photos of himself stashed around the house.

Apparently, Eve Andrews had been a bit of a stalker.

The sad part was that Lex hadn't known her at all, even her name, when he slept with her.

"She was stalking him, and he didn't know what she looked like?" Chloe asked in disbelief.

"He said he'd never seen her before," Clark told them. "Lex lied about a lot of things. He lied about all those women. Do you think he could've done it?"

"I have to say the whole fire starter thing doesn't exactly scream innocence, but there's something really strange about this. Look at this."

Chloe showed him her computer screen where there was a security video of Lex kissing some woman, presumably Eve, in an elevator.

"Wait, I thought Lex's attorneys would have all this under lock and key," Clark said.

"Yeah, well, she may know people at the top, but I know people at the bottom, and they work for tips. Check this out. See?" She paused the video so they could see Eve's face. "She's wearing two diamond earrings. See that?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, now, we're gonna skip through all this gross Zalman King stuff." She fast-forwarded the video that showed Lex and Eve really going at it in the elevator. "Just before they get out of the elevator onto the penthouse floor, and look."

She paused the video again and zoomed in on Eve's face. One ear had no earring.

"She lost an earring," Clark noticed.

"Exactly. Now, the police report said that the dead woman was wearing two diamond earrings. So either she found it, or…"

"Lex was with two different women."

Emmeline was willing to give Lex the benefit of the doubt, but knowing that he had been with two different women in one night and hadn't even known it kind of made her lose some respect for him as a person.

"So is this woman Eve Andrews or the other woman?" she asked. "And if she isn't Eve, then who is she?"

"Let's find out," Chloe told her.

The three of them headed over to the hotel to see if they could gather any more information about the other woman Lex had been with.

"So the police still haven't picked up on the missing earring thing, and according to the people at the front desk, they haven't found anything yet," Chloe explained as they approached the elevator. "So that's where we're at."

The elevator door slid open, and the three of them walked inside. They began scanning the elevator floor to see if the earring was anywhere.

"Well, if I were an earring…" Clark said.

The doors slid shut.

"Let's re-enact the event, okay?" Chloe suggested. "So Lex had 'Eve' up against this wall right here, so…" She pressed herself against the wall and motioned for Clark to follow.

Clark looked back at her awkwardly.

"Okay, come on, big boy, it's for the cause of truth and justice. Now, push me up against the wall."

"I don't—"

Chloe grabbed him and forced him against the wall with her. "And her hand was like this…" She put her right hand on Clark's shoulder. "…and I think his hand was like this." She made him put his hand on her cheek. "And they were…" She moved her other hand down his back in an attempt to find the right position.

Emmeline questioned how Chloe was possibly keeping her thoughts straight in a moment like this. She was pretty sure she was silently milking this up.

She couldn't help but smile at the extremely uncomfortable look on Clark's face. She hadn't seen him so uncomfortable since he had to pretend he was ridiculously in love with Mandy, the love potion cheerleader. It was hilarious.

"Maybe he knocked the earring off accidentally," Clark mustered out.

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Yeah. Yeah, and then she pushed him up against this wall over here like this."

Chloe pushed Clark up against the opposite wall of the elevator.

The second their eyes met, she forgot all about what she was doing.

"Hi," she said quietly.

Clark stared back at her for a moment, the uncomfortable expression gone from his face. His gaze went down to her lips.

 _No feelings for her, huh?_ Emmeline thought.

The elevator doors slid open to reveal a mother with her twin girls.

"Oh, my," the mother said at the sight of Chloe and Clark.

Clark quickly moved away from her. "It's okay. You can come in."

"Um, no, that's fine. We'll just, uh, take the stairs."

The mother hurriedly pushed her daughters away from the elevator.

"No, but nothing was happening!" Chloe insisted. "We weren't doing anything! Really!"

Clark sheepishly looked at the two girls.

"I hope you both know that I am never going to let you live this down," Emmeline laughed.

Chloe ignored her and knelt down to look at the crack between the elevator and the floor. "Hey, guys. What if the earring fell down this crack?"

They traveled down to the bottom of the elevator shaft, and sure enough…there was the diamond earring.

* * *

The next night, Clark, Chloe, and Emmeline met up at the Torch office after Clark had once again visited Lionel in the prison.

Surprisingly, he was actually helping them fix this whole mess.

Chloe put the earring under a microscope to make out the serial number and track down who was the owner of them.

"There it is," Clark remarked when they finally could see the number. "Just like he said."

"How do they get the serial number so small?" Chloe asked. "It's Lilliputian."

"Lasers. Lionel said all the high-end diamond dealers do it. In case it ever gets lost or stolen, you can track it down."

"Or it can track you down." The fax machine beeped, signaling that Chloe had an incoming fax. "I still can't believe that Lionel actually called his old jewelry guy and had him send over the purchase orders." She picked up the pages from the machine. "All right, give me the numbers."

"7-2-2-D-J-S-3-9-7-0."

"Here we go. Two diamond earrings. Wow, very expensive. Couriered to Miss Shannon Bell."

"Shannon Bell…how do I know that name?"

"Well, according to this, she works in Lex's law firm."

"We have to warn him."

"I'll call the police."

Chloe picked up the phone in the office and dialed 911. When she looked up, Clark was nowhere to be found.

"Okay, that got old after the third time he did that to us," Emmeline said. "How does he manage to get out so fast?"

"If I knew that, I'm pretty sure a lot of my questions would have been answered a long time ago."

* * *

"Hey, Em," Clark said as she entered the loft.

Emmeline smiled. "So you mean to tell me that Lionel was willing to help us solve the Lex case because he switched bodies with you?"

Clark looked uncomfortable again. "I don't get it either."

"It's amazing that you can change a person like Lionel Luthor. Even if it took a body swap to do it. You always manage to change people you come in contact with for the better."

"Not everyone."

"You changed me."

Clark smiled a little for a moment before his smile faded. "Maybe not Lex. Why would he lie to me about this whole thing?"

"Maybe he worried you would see him differently if you knew."

Clark didn't answer her.

"From what I know about Lex, you may be the only truly good and innocent thing he has left in his life. I think he's willing to do whatever it takes to keep it that way."

"Well, he still shouldn't have lied to me."

"Granted. And I'm not condoning it. But in the end, I think Lex really does want what's best for you. It's just that his ways of going about it are questionable."

"How do you always manage to see the good in people?"

Emmeline smiled at him. "I learned a lot of it from you."


	76. Scare

Emmeline supposed a part of her always knew that Lana had to have found some kind of romantic interest in Paris. But it was a shock to her that that person was none other than Coach Teague.

Of course, when the school found out about this relationship, the coach had been fired as it was against the rules for students and faculty to date.

Emmeline knew that Lana was 18 and therefore it was legal, but it still seemed a little weird to her.

All thoughts of weirdness were put out of her mind when she heard that Jason had taken a massive fall at the Talon and was now in a coma at the hospital.

She, Chloe, and Clark all went over for moral support.

And support was needed.

When they got there, Lana was sitting next to his bed looking like a complete emotional wreck.

"Hey," Chloe said gently as they walked in. "How's he doing?"

Lana wiped away the tears falling down her cheeks. "The doctors don't know. His heart's beating a mile a minute, and they can't get his blood pressure down."

"That's a little bit odd for someone who's unconscious, isn't it?"

"They said he's in some sort of a panic mode, like he's having a severe nightmare."

"What happened?" Clark asked.

"He, um, came by the Talon to pick me up for lunch, and I ran upstairs to grab a jacket."

Chloe looked at her concerned when her friend paused. "And?"

Lana began to get more choked up. "And I heard a crash. That's it. He's been…he's been perfectly healthy, but the doctors say that if they can't get his heart rate down that he could have a heart attack."

Clark walked over to the bedside. "They must have some idea of what caused this."

"I wish I could help them. But he was just studying all morning before he came to the apartment. The first time I saw him, he was lying on the Talon floor."

"Well, let us know if there's anything we can do to help, okay?" Chloe told her.

Lana nodded before she recalled what she needed. "They need his insurance card. It's, um, it's in my apartment. Could you guys go get it for me? I don't want to leave his side."

"Yeah, okay."

The three of them sorrowfully left the hospital room and headed over to the apartment above the Talon.

The two girls looked over and saw Clark staring wishfully at a picture of Lana and Jason.

Chloe sighed with a small smile. "Clark, I don't mean to go all Dr. Phil on you, but don't you think that you should, uh, admit that they're in a relationship?"

"Come on, Chloe," Clark said, attempting and failing to hide his hurt. "I'm past that."

"Yeah, I should've known by that crippling stare on your face ever since you walked in the apartment."

Clark walked away from her. "I just could've used more time to ease into it, you know?"

"Clark, you were in love with her. That's not something you just ease out of."

"It's just by the time I found out, they were already this serious thing."

"Yeah. But we all keep secrets for our own reasons. I don't think I have to tell you that."

Emmeline shrugged her shoulders in agreement when Clark didn't say anything.

Chloe began digging through Jason's backpack looking for something that would tell her why he was in the hospital about to die.

"I don't think going through Jason's personal things falls under your snoop jurisdiction," Clark told her.

Chloe pulled a PDA out of his bag. "Well, I'll take my chances with the jury on this one. I think maybe if we backtrack through Jason's last couple of days, it might help." She pushed a few buttons on the PDA. "Oh. Jason had a meeting at LuthorCorp this morning."

"Why didn't Lana say something?"

"Maybe she didn't know."

In order to get some answers, they dropped off the insurance card with Lana at the hospital and then went over to LuthorCorp.

To their surprise, almost no one was at the plant.

"This place seems dead," Clark remarked.

"Yeah," Chloe answered. "My dad used to work the overtime shifts on Saturdays. This lot should be full by now."

She pulled out a security card and used it to open the gate.

"Where do you think everybody is?"

"I don't know. But while you're talking to Lex, Em and I are gonna give ourselves a little backstage tour."

The two girls used Chloe's pass to get inside the plant and traverse the hallways. They should've passed by at least five people, but not a single person was inside the part of the plant they were in.

"What do you think we're going to find?" Emmeline asked.

"Inside LuthorCorp? Anything," Chloe responded.

They walked down a small set of stairs when Chloe suddenly looked up at the ceiling.

"Chloe?" Emmeline asked. "Did you see something?"

Chloe didn't answer her.

The blonde slowly made her way down the hall into one of the rooms. Emmeline followed her, confused at the unusual behavior.

"Mom?" Chloe whispered.

Emmeline looked at her in concern. "Chloe…there's nothing there."

Chloe took a couple more steps forward. Then she hesitantly put her hand out in front of her as if she was trying to touch something before pulling her hand back again. After a small pause, she repeated the action.

Suddenly, she flinched. Then she started screaming.

"Chloe!" Emmeline exclaimed. She looked at where Chloe was looking and still saw nothing.

Chloe looked down at her crossed arms that she couldn't seem to be able to uncross and started thrashing and crying out "No!" over and over again. She ran out of the room, still thrashing and screaming.

Emmeline ran after her in a panic.

"Chloe! Nothing's wrong! You're okay!"

Chloe ignored her.

Clark ran up to them, and she ran straight into Clark's arms where she passed out, covered in a sheen of cold sweat.

"What happened?" Clark asked frantically.

"I don't know!" Emmeline cried. "She whispered 'Mom' and then she just started screaming her head off. And she didn't take any notice of me. It was like I wasn't even there." She looked at him fearfully. "Clark, what is happening?"

* * *

After taking Chloe to the hospital to join the other patients who had somehow come down with the same thing, Emmeline joined Lana and Clark at the Torch office. She couldn't bear to see her best friend in such a state of pain.

"Have you found anything?" she asked as she stepped inside.

"Not yet," Clark told her. "But I'm looking up the satellite images of Smallville now. How's Chloe?"

"The same as Jason. Her heart rate is ridiculously high and she's constantly sweating as if she's been running or something."

Lana sighed heavily. "We know that Jason was in town by nine o'clock."

Clark looked at the computer. "Well, according to the hourly satellite images, we had clear skies all morning."

"Hourly? Can we get a bit more specific than that?"

"I'll try."

As Clark typed information into the computer, Lana started to pace. "You know, I just don't understand why Jason wouldn't tell me that he had a meeting at LuthorCorp."

"It might've been a blow to his pride, accepting Lex's offer."

"Well, maybe that's what all of this has been about." Clark turned to look at her. "I've been getting this feeling lately that there's something he hasn't been telling me."

"Maybe he thought you'd see him differently if you found out."

Emmeline was a little taken aback that he was using the same words she had said to him when they had talked about his friendship with Lex. Was this the first time he had ever repeated something she said to him to someone else? Was she really that inspiring to him?

"Do you really think that I'm that shallow, Clark?" Lana asked quietly.

"It's not being shallow," Emmeline answered for him. "It's human nature. A lot of the time, we do look at people differently when we find out certain things about them, and it's not always intentional."

Lana paused for a moment, considering her answer, when she noticed something on the screen behind Clark. "Look at that."

The three of them looked at the screen to find a green cloud forming over Kansas for a few seconds before disappearing.

"It looks like that cloud came out of nowhere," Clark said.

"And then it's completely gone five minutes later," Lana noticed.

"It covered two miles before it dissipated."

"Why would a cloud just appear like that?"

"Maybe it's not a cloud. Maybe it's pollution or smoke or something."

"Well, if that's the county line, then Chloe's house was right in the middle of it."

"So is LuthorCorp."

Clark got up from the computer and began scanning through some of Chloe's files.

"What do you think that cloud is?" Emmeline asked. "Is it the same thing that made Chloe go nuts at LuthorCorp?"

"It has to be. But I don't get what it was. Maybe some kind of chemical? But shouldn't we have known about this if that was the case?"

"It was gone pretty quickly. Maybe they didn't know it had gotten out."

"Or maybe they did and were trying to keep it quiet. It would explain why there weren't many people working at the plant today."

The both of them were abruptly knocked out of their conversation when Lana began screaming at the top of her lungs.

Clark quickly caught her as she passed out…just like Chloe.

Emmeline terrified eyes met Clark.

If this mysterious gas had now infected Lana, how much more time did she have before it hit her?

* * *

Clark and Emmeline raced to the hospital with Lana in Clark's arms.

"I need a doctor!" he yelled as he ran inside, Emmeline trailing behind him. "I need a doctor!"

Clark placed Lana down on one of the gurneys and a couple doctors rolled her away.

Emmeline looked around her in horror. All of the rooms were filled with fast-beeping monitors, and multiple gurneys crowded the hallways with people on them twitching in fear in their unconsciousness. Everyone was covered in a layer of panicked sweat.

Suddenly, Emmeline's head began to spin.

When she opened her eyes again, the hospital was dark and the gurneys had disappeared.

"Oh, no," she whispered.

She slowly walked down the halls, her heart pounding in her chest so hard that it hurt. She was terrified about what she was about to face.

Someone grabbed her from behind and forced her to turn around.

"Pete?" she gasped.

Pete smirked at her. "You really thought that I loved you? Who could ever love someone like you?"

Emmeline pushed herself out of his grasp. She hurried down the long hallway in order to get away from his awful words.

Someone else grabbed her.

"Hannah?"

"I gave you up for a good reason," her biological mother said angrily. "You are way too much trouble to deal with. Giving you up was the best decision I ever made."

Before Emmeline could run further, yet another person grabbed her.

"Lana?"

"Did you believe that someone as popular and beautiful as I am would ever befriend the quiet girl? We're from two different worlds. And my world is one you will never be good enough for."

Lana shoved her off onto someone else.

"Chloe."

"I can't believe you actually thought I was your best friend. I only ever hung out with you to make myself look better by comparison. Anyone can see that I'm the better choice out of the two of us."

Emmeline felt tears running down her cheeks. She looked down the hallway and saw her parents.

"Mom? Dad?"

"We never should've adopted you," her father said coldly. "We would've been happier without having to waste our time with you."

"Without you, I wouldn't be sick right now," her mother told her. "I wouldn't be fighting for my life! This is all your fault!"

"I'm so sorry, Mom," Emmeline cried.

Another person grabbed her, and her heart sank.

"Clark?"

Clark gave her the nastiest look she had ever seen on him. "You were never my friend. I have plenty of other friends who are much better than you. How could you even compare to Lana? I could never care about you when I have her. Even Chloe is better for me that you are. You are worth nothing to me."

Everyone Emmeline had been grabbed by circled around her, yelling out taunts and jeers. She placed her hands over her ears to try to block them out, but it didn't work.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her face and forced her to look over, the nails digging into her cheeks.

Emmeline's eyes widened in horror when she saw that she was looking at a monsterized version of herself.

Her hair was stringy, her skin was melting, her eyes were nothing but black holes, and her mouth was spread out in a sick grin.

"They're all better off without you," the monster said to her in a warped voice. "They hate you."

Emmeline screamed.

* * *

Clark bolted up on a gurney.

He looked around him and saw that he was back in the hospital and nothing had changed.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Everything with Lana had just been a nightmare. His worst fear.

When he hopped down off the gurney, his heart sank.

"Em?"

Emmeline lay on a gurney next to him, covered in a layer of sweat. The heart monitor next to her beeped rapidly, alerting no one that her heart rate was too high.

"Emmeline," he said quietly.

He gently took her face in his hands. Her head twitched in his hold, and her breathing came in short gasps, stuck in whatever hellish nightmare she was experiencing.

Clark quickly left the hospital, more determined than ever to find a cure.

* * *

Thankfully, a cure was found and Jason, Lana, Chloe, and Emmeline all managed to get out of their own personal nightmares.

They all took a day to recoup before Chloe was at it inside the Torch office once again.

"Hey, Em!" Clark called as he caught up with her in the halls. "How are you feeling?"

"Still trying to shake off what I saw," she answered.

"What was it? If you don't mind my asking."

Emmeline took a small breath. "Everyone I ever loved showed me just how much they didn't need me. How they were better off without me."

"I can't imagine what that must've been like."

"It was definitely a relief to wake up from that."

"Was…was I there?"

It took a moment before Emmeline nodded. "Yeah."

"What did I say?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Actually, no. No, I don't. Just know that whatever my nightmare self said, it wasn't true."

Emmeline smiled. "I know that, Clark."

"Because there wasn't a whole lot that was scarier than waking up and seeing you lying on the stretcher next to me."

"How did you wake up?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

"Well, it doesn't really matter because we're all fine."

"Yes, we are."

When Clark and Emmeline entered the Torch office, Chloe angrily put down the phone.

"I can't get a statement from LuthorCorp. I mean, a huge chemical explosion causes everybody to relive their worst nightmares? What is that?! And then there's no sign of a lawsuit. I mean, it's like this whole thing is just being completely forgotten about!" She looked up and saw how they were looking at her. "What?! What?!" Clark and Emmeline exchanged a glance. "What?"

Clark put down his bag. "I've seen you worked up before, but this is more than amped, even for you."

Chloe calmed down a little. "I guess it's just displaced anxiety."

The both of them looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I found my mom, guys," she said softly.

There was a pause as they processed what she had just told them.

"Wow," Clark finally said. "That's…Chloe, that's great."

"Yeah, I mean I put my feelers out for years, and something, three months ago, finally came through, so….um, it turns out she's, um…not exactly MIA, so to speak." Chloe's eyes watered and she could barely get the next words out. "She's in a mental institution."

Emmeline quickly went over to her and put her arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

Clark's brow furrowed in sympathy. "I'm sorry."

"The real kicker is it's hereditary."

"Listen, hey," he said firmly as he put his hands on her arms. "If there's one thing that I've learned, it's that you're not destined to follow in your parents' footsteps, all right?"

Chloe nodded a little and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, thanks." She smiled a little and went over to her desk. "So, popular question of the day. What is Clark Kent's worst nightmare?"

Clark looked up at her. "When I woke up. Everyone that I knew was gone. I was completely alone."

"I wish I could say that I'll always be there for you, but somehow I get the feeling that may not be a promise I can keep." She went over and sat next to him. "You were the only one who came out of it, Clark, and I don't think it's because you've been taking your vitamins."

"Chloe…"

"Look, you know what? You don't have to tell me. I know that I gave you my word that I was going to stop all this prying, but…in these last few months, I really got a taste of what it was like to keep my mom's secret, and I've never felt more alone."

"It's weird when people think they're so close to you but have no idea what you're really going through."

"Yeah. I'd hate to live my whole life like this. But after fessing up, it's amazing how quickly that feeling of loneliness disappears. I mean, if you can't tell your best friends, who can you tell? Right, Clark?"

Clark looked at her thoughtfully, wishing desperately that he could just tell his two closest friends his deepest secret.


	77. Unsafe

When Clark came into the Torch office and told Chloe and Emmeline that Alicia Baker had been released from Belle Reve, Emmeline's stomach flipped a little. This was the girl who had tried to kill her and Lana in order for her to be the only girl in Clark's life.

But if she was released from Belle Reve, then maybe she really was changed.

She wouldn't find out if she didn't let Alicia show her.

Chloe smiled as she hacked into Belle Reve's files and pulled up the file on Alicia.

"Man, I'm good," she said with deserved self-praise. "All right, Alicia Baker. 'Suffering from a histrionic personality disorder causing emotional instability resulting in psychotic episodes.' Yeah, that's our girl."

She scrolled down the page and the picture of an older man came up.

"Who's that guy?" Clark asked.

"It's Alicia's psychiatrist, Dr. William McBride. Yeah, I've heard of him. He graduated from Harvard in two years with more degrees than a thermometer."

"Well, then at least we know he's credible," Emmeline said.

Clark nervously looked at the computer. "What's he say about Alicia?"

Chloe's eyes quickly scanned the diagnosis. "Wow. Well, according to Dr. McBride, Alicia really is cured."

"She was telling the truth."

Clark turned to face them with a broad smile on his face.

Chloe smirked at him. "And that, I take it, is exactly what our young Mr. Kent wanted to hear."

Emmeline smiled a little. She didn't know what it was about Alicia, but Clark genuinely liked her, and despite what had happened, she had to admit that they did have chemistry when she wasn't on a psychotic rampage.

Maybe, if Alicia truly wasn't homicidal anymore, she really was the right girl for him.

* * *

That night, Emmeline and Chloe were hard at work at the Torch.

Emmeline silently wondered how things were working out with Clark and Alicia and if she really was showing signs that she had changed.

She was so deep in those thoughts that she didn't even hear Lana walk in.

"Hey," the girl said to announce her presence to the two workers.

"Hey," Chloe smiled. "We missed you in A.P. Lit today. What happened? You decide you just couldn't face _The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock_?"

"No, um…I went to go see Jason."

"Sounds like it didn't go so well." Chloe smiled a little at her surprised expression. "I'm sorry, but, um, poker face isn't exactly your strong suit. What's up?"

Lana walked away a little so her back was towards the two girls. "I think I finally figured out why he's been so cryptic. He doesn't think that I'm ready for _that_ kind of a relationship."

"What? What kind?"

Lana didn't answer her. She turned to face Chloe and opened her mouth several times attempting to find the right words.

"Oh, that kind," Chloe said catching on. "Oh, okay."

Emmeline's face reddened. She had witnessed a lot of awkward conversations since befriending Chloe. _A lot_ of them.

But this was reaching a whole new level of awkward…

"Wow," Chloe said, still stunned at the confession. "That answers a question I've been dying to ask you all semester."

Lana's brow furrowed. "Does everybody think that we've—"

Chloe stood up from her seat. "Lana, you were alone with him for three months in Paris."

Lana smiled awkwardly. "Right. Um…well, we haven't. But I'm starting to think that I'm ready."

Emmeline released a breath of air.

Somehow…it got more awkward…

Lana and Chloe sat down on the couch while Emmeline leaned against the desk across from them.

"First off," Chloe started, "don't do this just because you're afraid to lose him if you don't."

"It's not that. It's just Jason's in college, and I think that he's used to relationships that are…that are a little more adult."

"Well, hold on," Emmeline put in. "That may be the case, but he should've known what kind of relationship he was getting into when he started dating you. And it's extremely unfair of him to put things on hold with you just because you don't want to do something like this."

Lana sighed heavily.

"Look, at the risk of going _After School Special_ on you, two-thirds of all people under the age of 18 regret doing it too soon," Chloe told her. She took a deep breath. "And on behalf of that two-thirds, just be sure that you're really ready."

Emmeline looked at Chloe in disbelief. She didn't know if she was more shocked that Chloe had already…done it, or the fact that she hadn't yet told her about it.

Lana's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait a minute. Are you saying that you've—"

"Yeah. During my internship at the Daily Planet. His name was Jimmy. He was very cute in a bow tie kind of way. You know, I mean, it was…it was a summer infatuation that I thought was the real thing."

"Do you wish you hadn't done it?"

"Sometimes. I mean, it wasn't awful by any means. But it just wasn't special, and as cliché as it sounds, it only happens once. So just make sure Jason's the guy that you want to remember forever."

Emmeline smiled a little. "As traditional as this is going to sound, I'm personally waiting until marriage."

"Why?" Lana asked.

"My parents waited. And they say it was one of the best decisions they ever made. Besides, after meeting my biological mom and hearing about everything she went through…I want to wait."

"You know, it may be really hard to find a guy who's willing to wait that long," Chloe put in.

"I know. But if a guy really loves me, then he'll be willing to wait too."

Lana shook her head lightly. "I feel like I'm even more torn than before."

"Well, no one can make this decision but you."

"Yeah…"

When Lana left the office, Emmeline took a seat next to her best friend. "I'm stunned."

Chloe sighed. "Yeah, I know. I was going to tell you, but…"

"It was personal. I get it."

"I mean, you remember that summer."

"Right, it was right after the Spring Formal. And you were upset about everything happening with Clark."

"I was hurt and angry, and Jimmy was there for me when I was weak. And in the moment, it felt like it was real. But, I regret it a lot more than I let on. I wanted my first time to mean something. And I lost that opportunity."

"Well, it will never be the first time again, but imagine how wonderful it will be when it's with someone you really love."

* * *

Emmeline slowly made her way up to Clark's loft.

She realized just how often she had been making trips up here lately, but it didn't feel unusual in any way.

And every time she was up here, she left feeling happier than when she had come. Something about her conversations with Clark were so fulfilling. Whether the subject was happy or sad.

From the look on Clark's face, this one was going to be the latter.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm not sure…" he answered sadly.

After a pause, she said, "I heard you ran off to Vegas and got married."

Clark put his head down in shame. Sometimes, he really hated living in a small town. "Yeah, I just got an earful from my parents about the whole thing. About how marriage is sacred and I should've had better judgment."

"How in the world did this even happen?"

"I…I wasn't totally myself."

"What, were you drunk or something?"

"Sort of."

"Wait, I'm confused. Were you drunk or not?"

Clark sighed and decided it was better to just give her a straight lie. "Yes."

"Did Alicia get you drunk?"

"Yeah…"

"I can understand your parents being upset about that considering you're not the legal age yet. But if you were drunk, you probably don't even remember what you did, right?"

"Not exactly. I was aware of what I was doing, but…being drunk kind of…dampened my inhibitions."

"Well, yeah, generally, that's what being drunk does."

"So, I guess I really wanted to be with Alicia and then when I got drunk, I decided to just go ahead and do it."

"Well, even still, I personally think your parents should cut you a little bit of slack. Yes, this decision was extremely stupid, but if your inhibitions were overridden by your desires because you got drunk, then they should be upset about that, not your judgement. In your shoes, anyone's judgment would've been screwed up. And besides, it wasn't even your fault that you got drunk in the first place."

"I wish they could see things your way."

Emmeline sighed a little and decided to switch topics. "So, about Alicia, do you think she's really changed?"

"She's definitely not the same person she was before. We don't have to worry about her going after anyone again. I know that she really messed things up by…getting me drunk, but…she was so remorseful about the whole thing. And she…she took a bullet for me."

"She did what?"

"Her psychiatrist, Dr. McBride, came after me so I wouldn't hurt Alicia again. He was about to shoot me, but Alicia teleported herself in front of me so the bullet hit her instead."

Emmeline was at a loss for words. She knew Alicia was in love with Clark, but she never knew that the girl would take a bullet for him.

"I don't want to completely cut her out of my life yet."

"And you shouldn't," Emmeline told him. "She may have gotten you drunk, but unlike before, from what you're telling me, she recognizes how big of a mistake it was. And, you know, I've seen you two together. You guys share something that I've never seen before. You just look so…free with her. It may take some more time before you are ready to be with her again, and that's okay. Take the time. When you're ready, it'll be worth it."


	78. Pariah

**This was a very difficult chapter to write. Not only is it heart-wrenching, but everyone in the episode made me so frustrated.**

 **I had to take a break in between writing this because I was getting too invested.**

* * *

Emmeline smiled broadly as she watched Chloe and Lois onstage in the Talon singing "I Love Rock and Roll" at the Talon's Karaoke Night.

She personally wouldn't get up there if her life depended on it, but it was fun watching everyone else.

The two girls really got into the song, so much so, that Lois hopped down from the stage and sang flirtatiously to one of the guys sitting at the tables.

Emmeline recognized him as Tim Westcott. He wrote articles for the Torch every now and again.

And he looked extremely uncomfortable with Lois's advances.

The door opened and a couple walked in. And as soon as they did, almost all chatter in the Talon stopped at once.

Karaoke music continued in the background, oblivious to the intense awkwardness that filled the room.

Clark had walked in with Alicia.

"First he married the girl, now he's dating her?" Lois said sarcastically.

Emmeline closed her eyes and sighed.

She just had to say that into the microphone…

Alicia looked down in embarrassment as Clark looked over at her apologetically.

Chloe glared at her cousin. "That was subtle, Lois."

"Right," Lois grimaced.

"It was good."

An even more awkward silence stretched throughout the Talon at Lois's remark. Emmeline could feel the secondhand embarrassment radiating off Lois, Clark, Chloe, and Alicia. She suddenly wished she was anywhere else.

Lana gave a hard look to her boyfriend. "I think I've seen enough for one night."

She quickly got up and started to head up towards her apartment.

"Lana, wait," Alicia called.

Lana turned to face her with a very harsh glare.

"I just want to apologize."

"For what? Trying to kill me or not succeeding?"

"Look, all I want is a chance to prove to you who I really am."

"You already have."

Lana angrily went up the stairs to her apartment.

Clark came up next to Alicia, but Jason stood up defensively. "I can't believe you brought her here."

"Jason, listen—" Clark started.

"Listen to what? Another apology?"

Alicia sadly turned and walked out of the Talon, unwilling to listen to his hurtful remarks any longer.

"You think just 'cause she says she's better that everything's gonna be okay? Come on, man."

Emmeline angrily pursed her lips at Lana and Jason's words. She knew they both had a right to be angry at Alicia, but something about what they said and the way they said it boiled her insides.

She got up from her seat and followed Lana up to her apartment. For courtesy's sake, she knocked on the door before getting permission to enter.

Lana frowned when she saw who entered. "If you seriously think I'm going to go back down there and apologize for what just happened, you are _so_ mistaken."

"I wasn't going to say that," Emmeline said quietly. "But I think the whole thing was a little uncalled for."

"Excuse me?! She tried to kill me!"

Emmeline glared at her a little. "Let's not forget she tried to kill me too! And I'm not exactly ready to forgive her either for everything she's done, but neither of us are going to get to that point if we don't give her a chance!"

Lana slowly walked up to her. "That freak doesn't deserve a chance."

Emmeline laughed quietly in disbelief.

Lana walked further into her apartment, leaving the iciness between them hanging in the air.

Emmeline returned downstairs, sure her blood pressure had just raised a few numbers.

Clark was at the counter getting some drinks while Alicia sat at one of the tables, looking like she wanted the earth to swallow her up.

"Hey, Alicia!" she called as she went over to the girl.

Alicia gave her an embarrassed smile as she sat down next to her. "Hi, Emmeline. Um…I know words aren't really going to be enough, but…I wanted to let you know how sorry I am about what happened the last time you saw me."

Emmeline nodded. "You're right. Words aren't enough."

Alicia put her head down in shame.

"That's why…I want to let you show me that you've changed."

Her eyes lit up for the first time all night. "Really?"

"It may take a while, but I'm willing to give you a chance. Don't waste it."

"I won't."

"How about we get some coffee tomorrow, and we just talk?"

"I'd like that."

"Great. I'll see you then."

"Emmeline? Thank you."

* * *

Later that night, Emmeline rushed to the hospital when she received the news that Lana had been attacked in her apartment by an unknown assailant.

She ended up getting there at the same time as Clark.

"How's Lana?" he asked Chloe and Lois who were waiting outside Lana's room. "Is she okay?"

"Hey, Clark," Chloe answered quickly. "Yeah, she's-she's fine. I mean, lucky for her, Jason pulled a T.J. Hooker and broke the bathroom door down."

"Only to discover Lana's mystery assailant had somehow flown the coop," Lois told him. "So, have they arrested your arm ornament yet?"

Emmeline glared at Lois for the thoughtless remark.

"What?" Clark asked in confusion.

"Sheriff Adams was just here, and she spent a lot of time focusing on the 'attacked inside a locked room' scenario," Chloe explained.

"And the name Alicia Baker came up more than once in a bunny-boiler kind of way," Lois added.

Clark looked at them sharply. "Alicia didn't do this. Ever since she was released from Belle Reve, she's been wearing her lead bracelet. It prevents her from using her abilities."

"And did she also happen to be wearing anything low-cut when she spun you that tale, 'cause I'm not sure you're thinking with your big brain here."

"Clark, just because Alicia says that the bracelet keeps her from teleporting doesn't mean that it's the truth," Chloe said.

"It could be the truth," Emmeline put in. "Not everything that comes out of that girl's mouth is a lie."

"Why are you even defending her?" Lois asked.

"I'm just looking at things from both sides."

"Look, she was with me when Lana got attacked," Clark told them. "I was saying good night in Granville."

"Yeah, but every second?" Chloe said disbelievingly. "You have to admit that she can transport easier than Captain Kirk."

Lois crossed her arms. "And she did try to carve herself a Jack-O-Lana before, cut-and-dry. Emphasis on the 'cut'."

"I'm telling you Alicia couldn't have done this," Clark said firmly. "I know her."

"Besides, she just got out of Belle Reve," Emmeline added. "And from what I know, that isn't a great place. Why would she do something that would put her right back in it? Is it so hard to believe that she might have changed?"

Chloe and Lois shared disbelieving looks.

Clark went over to the door to Lana's room.

Jason quickly stepped out and looked at him angrily. "Clark. Lana doesn't want to see you."

Emmeline glared up at him. "Mature."

Jason looked at her with a mixture of confusion, surprise, and annoyance.

Emmeline stormed away from the hospital.

* * *

Emmeline, Lois, and Chloe were inside the Torch office just finishing up and heading to class.

"Ever thought about getting out more?" Lois asked her cousin.

Chloe scoffed. "This coming from the hotshot college student who ran away from college this weekend."

"It's Greek Week."

"So?"

"So, they're wearing their letters on their shirts, they sing group songs, the fraternities are having a power puking contest."

"Oh, okay, enough said. I don't understand why you came out to Smallville though."

"Well, believe it or not, I like spending time with you, little cousin. Although that doesn't mean I'm ready to buy into your 'meteors-make-freaks' theory."

"Wait until you get attacked by one. It makes you change your opinion pretty quickly," Emmeline smiled.

Chloe opened up her locker. "It's not just a theory, Lois. Alicia Baker tried to kill my best friend twice, and it was because of her meteor-induced abilities that she was able to do that."

"And apparently, I am the only one who is willing to give her the benefit of the doubt."

"Yeah, and I still don't get that. She almost killed you. You should be against her more than any of us."

"Well, I'm not. We don't even have any proof that Alicia was the one who attacked Lana."

"Well, did you know that Lana's bathroom door was locked? Who else could've gotten in? Or out for that matter?"

"That's what I want to know," Clark said as he joined in on their conversation. "Chloe, we need to find out if there's anybody else in Smallville who has abilities similar to Alicia's."

"Clark, I'm sorry, but even if there was someone else like Alicia, what would they have against Lana?"

Tim walked up behind them with a folder in his hand. "Hey, I finished that op-ed piece, Chloe."

"Great."

Tim looked over at Lois. "Hey, Lois."

"Hey," Lois said quietly.

"I had a feeling I'd-I'd bump into you here. Um, I was wondering if, uh, you'd-you'd like to maybe have a cup of coffee or something with me, maybe."

"Coffee?"

Chloe smiled broadly. "You know, Lois was just saying she needs to get out more."

"I-I…look…

"Excellent," Tim finished for her. "It's a date."

Chloe smiled again and took the folder from him. Opening it, she took a look at the article. "'Smallville's Glory Days'. Sounds interesting."

Tim smiled at Lois. "I think it is, and I'll tell you about it over coffee."

Chloe handed the folder to Emmeline. "And I will hand this to you for you to proofread."

"Great," Emmeline smiled.

Clark quickly stopped Tim as he walked away. "Hey, Tim. Um, you were at the Talon last night. Did you see anything suspicious?"

"Um, no, nothing out of the ordinary. But your mother, she was there. She was cleaning up, and the blond girl that you were with was in the alley. Maybe they saw something."

Emmeline sighed and walked up to Clark. "Hey. You know that I'm an extremely good judge of character. And when I spoke to Alicia last night, she genuinely looked like she wanted to be a better person. So, I guess what I'm saying is…I believe you. I don't think she did it."

Clark smiled sadly. "Thanks, Em."

* * *

Emmeline nervously entered the Talon looking for Alicia.

Her heart panged a little when she saw her sitting at a table alone with no one in the vicinity. Everyone in the Talon had gone out of their way to make sure they weren't near her.

Emmeline quickly got a vanilla bean frappucino and made her way over to the table.

"Hi," she said quietly.

Alicia smiled. "Hey. So…I know this is really awkward. I don't even really know where to begin."

"Well, what happened between us, Belle Reve, and your powers are subjects that are off the table."

"Okay."

Emmeline looked around and saw everyone staring at them. They weren't going to get any good conversations going with the place treating them like a virus. "You know what? Let's get out of here and just walk down the sidewalk."

"Thank you."

* * *

Things did not get any better for Alicia when Jason was attacked inside his locked car that night. What made it worse was that he was attacked with Alicia's green scarf.

Emmeline exited the Talon after grabbing a drink when Lana decided to confront her.

"So how do you feel now?" she asked.

Emmeline turned to face her. "You give me one good reason Alicia would have for attacking Jason, and we'll talk."

Lana opened her mouth to retort but found that she couldn't answer.

"Think about it, Lana. The only reason Alicia went after either of us was because she believed that we were a threat to her relationship with Clark. Now, Jason is keeping you away from Clark. So if anything, he is helping her. What reason would she have to attack him?"

"I don't know! But that doesn't change the fact that he was attacked in a locked car with her green scarf."

"That's another thing! What idiot would attack someone and leave behind a piece of evidence that incriminating? I'm telling you, none of this makes any sense!"

"Why are you defending her?!"

"It's Smallville! It's not hard to believe that there's someone else who may have a similar ability that allows them to get in and out of locked places."

"Oh, so someone else in Smallville just happens to have the ability to teleport?!"

"I didn't say that, I said something similar."

"I can't believe you're even taking her side!"

"I'm just giving her a chance to see if she's changed. And I think she has! Why can't you give her a chance too?"

"If Greg Arkin walked in here right now and told you that he changed, would you give him a chance?"

Emmeline glared at her. "That is not fair."

"Why not?"

"Because what happened with Greg traumatized me! To the point where I had a panic attack almost every time I thought about it which was nearly every waking moment! And you know what? It would be hard, and it would take a while, but I would want to give him a chance!"

"Why?!"

"Why is it so hard for you to believe that maybe Alicia didn't do this?"

"Why is it so hard for you to believe that _maybe_ she did?!"

"Because she didn't!"

"And how do you know that?!"

"I just… _know_!"

Lana glared fiercely at her. "Well, that's not good enough."

Emmeline sighed heavily. "You know what? Forget it. I don't know why I thought I could make you change your mind."

She turned around and headed down the sidewalk, leaving Lana alone stewing in anger.

* * *

That night, Lois hurriedly ran into the Torch office.

"Where's Chloe or Clark?" she asked.

"Uh, I don't know. Chloe was here an hour ago, but I haven't seen her since then. Maybe she's at the Talon. I haven't seen Clark all day. Why?"

"You may have been right."

Lois quickly left the office to go to the Talon.

"Wait, what?" Emmeline called as she ran after her. "Right about what?"

The two of them quickly headed to the Talon and saw Chloe sitting at the counter.

"Chloe, have you seen Clark?" Lois asked quickly.

"What?" Chloe said startled. "Have I seen Clark do what? What—Uh, oh, yeah, I've seen him."

"Where?"

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Bad date. I'm starting to think maybe Alicia isn't our resident psycho killer."

"What?" Emmeline asked in surprise. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"It doesn't matter. I need to find Clark."

"He's probably zipping around looking for Alicia," Chloe said more to herself than to them.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine! Yeah, fine! Uh…he's probably out at Alicia's house."

"I'll swing by, see if he's there. Can you give me a call if he shows up here?"

"Okay."

"Okay."

"I'll come with you," Emmeline said.

"Fine."

Emmeline and Lois raced down to Alicia's house.

Nothing could prepare them for what they found.

They both could hear Clark screaming in agony as they pulled up. Alarmed, they ran out of the car and towards Alicia's barn.

"Clark!" Lois called.

Emmeline put her hand to her mouth at the sight that greeted them.

Clark held Alicia in his arms. There was a noose around her neck.

She had been killed.

"Clark, what happened?" Lois whispered.

Clark didn't answer her as he tearfully looked at Alicia's lifeless body.

"I think I know who did this. And where we can find him."

Clark's eyes hardened, and if Emmeline had been able to see his face, the look would've haunted her.

* * *

When Clark realized Tim Westcott was the real killer and he was at the Smallville Museum, he raced there before Lois and Emmeline had a chance to even process what happened.

Lois quickly drove the two of them to the museum before Clark did something he regretted.

Lois started to get out of the car, but Emmeline stopped her.

"Lois, let me handle this."

"What? Why?"

"Just trust me. It has to be me."

Lois paused before nodding. "Alright."

Emmeline quickly got out of the car and ran inside the museum. She saw Tim pressed up against a support beam and Clark's hand pressed to his throat effectively choking him. For reasons she didn't understand, Tim's face was red with burns.

"Clark, stop!" she cried as she ran up to him. "You can't do this!"

"You killed her," he growled at Tim.

"Clark, look at me. Alicia would not want you to do this. I promise you that he will face justice for what he has done."

Clark didn't look at her but kept his fury-filled eyes on Alicia's killer.

"Clark…I know you. You don't want to do this."

He wanted nothing more than to kill Tim, but Emmeline was right. He couldn't do it. He didn't want the blood of another human life on his hands.

Slowly, he took his hands away from Tim's neck and let him drop to the floor.

"Come here."

Emmeline hugged him tightly. After all the times he had given her a shoulder to cry on, it was her turn to do the same for him.

* * *

Emmeline knocked on the door to the Kent home.

"Hi, Emmeline," Martha greeted with a sad smile.

"I, um, I came to see Clark. Is he around?"

"Um, as much as I'm sure he'd appreciate you being here, he doesn't really want to see anyone right now."

"I know. And that's usually the times we need to see someone the most."

Martha sighed. "He's up in the loft."

"Thank you."

Emmeline once again headed up to the loft, mentally preparing herself for what was sure to be a sad conversation.

Her heart broke when she saw Clark sitting against the couch, aimlessly looking at the opposite wall of the loft.

"Hey," she said quietly. "I know you're probably not up for company, but as your best friend, I couldn't just sit in my house knowing that you're up here alone and heartbroken."

Clark didn't look at her. "She died believing I thought she was guilty."

"No, Clark, she knew how much you cared about her."

"I should've trusted her. Even you…after what she did to you…you still didn't think she did it."

Emmeline sighed. She didn't what she could say to that.

"She was the only one who really understood me."

"There's someone out there for you."

"I loved her. And now she's gone."

Clark put his hands to his face.

Emmeline rushed over to him and put her arms around him. "It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay."

She said that to him and over and over again as she rubbed her hands up and down his arms. She knew very well that it really wasn't okay, but maybe if she said it enough times, he would start to believe it.

* * *

Emmeline opened the folder with the article Tim had written that she was supposed to proofread for the next issue.

Anger filled her as tears stung her eyes.

She angrily picked up a pair of scissors and cut up the laminated article into tiny pieces and threw them all in the trash can. She put her hand to her face and took a pained deep breath.

At the sound of footsteps, she turned to see that Lana had walked into the office.

She turned back around. "You got your wish. You're never going to see Alicia again."

"I didn't want her to die, Em," Lana said quietly, surprised at her friend's harsh words.

Emmeline didn't respond.

"I was wrong about Alicia, okay? But…you have to admit that my paranoia about her was a little warranted."

Emmeline finally turned to face her. "Maybe if you'd taken the time to talk to her, you'd see that she was different. I got coffee with her, and it was that conversation that let me see that she wanted to change. She wanted to fix people's opinions of her."

Lana sighed heavily.

"Lana, you are one of my best friends. But sometimes when your mind is set, you refuse to look at things from another point of view. Sometimes, that can be a good thing. But it might end up costing you a friendship."

"Em…"

"Have you even apologized to Clark yet?"

Lana sighed again. These kinds of conversations with Emmeline always made her feel like everything she did was wrong. She didn't know what she hated more: the conversations or the fact that Emmeline was usually right.

"Emmeline, you have to understand…I don't see the world the way you do."

"I know. But you could at least try."

Lana sadly left the Torch office.

Emmeline released a large breath.

Then she sat down at her desk, put her hands over her face, and cried.


	79. Recruit

**Fair warning that the next few chapters are going to be a little slow because there aren't a whole lot of places to put Emmeline.**

* * *

When Lois was arrested at Met U for allegedly paralyzing another student, Emmeline couldn't believe that. Lois may be a very blunt, sassy, defiant woman, but she even she couldn't paralyze someone in just one blow.

Finding the real paralyzer was going to be a bit of a challenge.

"He was no Prince Charming, but nobody deserves to have that happen to them," Lois lamented to Chloe and Emmeline. "He can't even speak. I feel terrible."

"Lois, it doesn't take an M.D. to know that a kick to the gut is not gonna cause head-to-toe paralysis," Chloe told her cousin.

Lois took off her sunglasses, still fighting a massive hangover from the night before. "I hope the judge agrees. Otherwise, I'm gonna be the star of my very own 'woman-in-prison' movie."

"How did you post bail?"

"Four very good friends of mine. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. Chloe, I didn't know where else to go."

"No, lucky for you, I'm on my way to Met U for my financial aid pitch. Why don't we just, um, round trip together and we'll figure this thing out."

Clark walked up behind them and joined in. "Lois, I heard what happened."

Lois gave him a thin smile. "I see news travels fast."

"The guy that you put in the hospital? It's Geoff's roommate."

Clark gestured down the hall where an older college student was speaking with some of the students from Smallville High.

"Who's Geoff?" Emmeline asked.

"He's a football player at Met U. He's going to show me around campus and introduce me to the coach and some other people."

"So you're really going to go to college for football?"

Clark smiled broadly. "Yeah."

Lois sighed heavily, bringing the conversation back to her problem. "Clark, I swear, all I did was knock the wind out of him. I couldn't have paralyzed him."

"You were drinking, right?"

"Those days are over. No more alcohol. And that includes cough syrup and rum cakes." The bell rang, and Lois groaned and put her hand to her head. "Aspirin? Anyone?"

Chloe smiled pitifully. "Torch, desk drawer on the left-hand side."

As Lois quickly went to the Torch office to ease her hangover, Clark came up to Chloe apologetically. "Listen, Chloe, I know that we were supposed to drive to Met U today, but since Geoff is here, I was just gonna—"

"Yeah. No, I understand. Star quarterback, you don't want to ride with the common folk."

"You know it's not like that."

"It's fine, Clark." Clark started to walk away, but Chloe quickly added, "Hey, uh, Clark, I'm actually kind of surprised that you took the football route."

"Why?"

"Well…I don't know, it just seems like you have kind of an unfair advantage."

Emmeline looked at her in confusion. Why would Clark have an unfair advantage over everyone else? He was human just like they were.

"What do you mean?" Clark asked, equally confused.

"Well, it's just you have all of these truly amazing talents. Um, you know, on the field."

"Well, you know, that's the way it is in sports. Some people are better than others."

"Right. I guess I just don't understand as much as I thought I did. About football."

"Chloe—"

Clark was cut off when Geoff grabbed him from behind. "Let's go, C.K. The festivities are about to begin."

The college student escorted Clark away from them.

Emmeline decided to ignore Chloe's strange behavior for the moment. "So Met U is really where you wanna go?"

Chloe smiled at her. "If I get financial aid. I'm a little short after everything that happened with my dad last year."

"Yeah, I understand that."

"Speaking of, how is your mom doing?"

"She's getting worse. It isn't completely horrible yet, but it's not good."

"I'm sorry. Do you still plan on going to college then?"

"Oh, yeah. Mom made it very clear that everything happening with her was not an excuse to not go to college. I think I'm going to go to Central Kansas though. I mean, with all the medical bills and only Dad's salary, I can't afford to go out-of-state. And this way, I can just commute and save money by not living in the dorms. Besides, I don't really want to leave Dad's side after all of this."

"Wow. Have you decided what you want to major in yet?"

Emmeline sighed. "No. I've been thinking a lot about it, but nothing has come to mind yet."

"It doesn't have to be right away. You can go in 'Undeclared'."

"Yeah, I know. But I'd like to get started as soon as I can." She smirked at her best friend. "I assume you will be majoring in Journalism?"

"What else?"

The two friends laughed together.

"You wanna come up with me and Lois to Met U? Maybe you can help us figure out who really paralyzed this guy."

"Count me in."

* * *

The first place the girls went was the hospital where Coop, Geoff's roommate, had been put after he had been discovered.

Lois leaned over the paralyzed boy. "Coop? Can you hear me? It's Lois, your, um, drinking buddy. I'm so sorry this happened to you, but I swear I didn't do it." She looked over at Chloe and Emmeline sadly. "Last night, I would've given anything to shut him up. And now…"

Chloe put her arm around her. "Come on, Lois. We gotta get out of here before someone sees you."

Lois stopped when she saw all the flowers on the table in the room. "Maybe someone close to Coop knows something we don't."

Chloe opened one of the cards. "Lois, I don't think that Grandma Betty from Topeka is gonna have the answer."

"But his girlfriend, Monique, might." She showed the two girls another card from a sorority on campus.

"How do you know it's his girlfriend?"

"When the card ends with 'I'll love you forever and ever', it's a bit of a giveaway."

* * *

Things took a turn for the worse when Coop died in the hospital. This obviously made Lois a lot more on edge because if no one proved she didn't accidentally paralyze him, she could go to jail for manslaughter.

Chloe sat in Lois's dorm room filling out her application for financial aid. Emmeline had spent a few hours with her helping her to rehearse her presentation for the board.

"Chloe, if you're trying to milk any money out of this university, you may not want to be seen within 100 feet of me," Lois told her regretfully.

"Lois, you're innocent, and this autopsy is more than likely gonna prove that," Chloe answered.

Lois looked over her shoulder at the application. "Your father's birth city? What, are you applying for financial aid or for the CIA?"

Chloe laughed. "I know."

A knock sounded on the door and Clark entered the dorm.

"Hey, Clark," Lois greeted. "Something wrong?"

"I think Geoff Johns paralyzed Coop," Clark stated bluntly.

"What?"

"He's passing his physicals by using another student's urine samples."

"Black market pee? What's he trying to cover up? Drugs?"

"I, uh, I don't think so. I think it's something else. I just saw him touch this kid, and he put him straight to the ground like he hit him with a stun gun. And the linebackers, they always say when they get stiff-armed by Geoff Johns, they don't know what hit them. They go down to the turf every time. I think he has a meteor power."

"Using your powers on the field to cheat is pathetic, but it's not paralyzing someone."

"What if he can control the intensity when he stuns someone?"

"Well, if that's true, you're gonna have to find a way to prove it because nobody outside the Smallville city limits is gonna believe the Bulldog superstar has superhuman powers."

"Unfortunately, she has a point," Emmeline told him. "Even some people in Smallville don't believe it."

"The pee peddler might know the truth about Geoff," Chloe put in.

"Can you track him down?" Clark asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna go to the football dorm. I'm gonna try to find Geoff before he can hurt someone else."

Emmeline sighed. "So we can't get away from these guys even when we're not in Smallville."

While Clark tried to find Geoff, the three girls found who was dealing out Geoff's…samples and went to go find out what he knew.

They walked through the university until they found him chaining his bike up and getting ready to head to class.

"Time to see what Mr. Peebody knows," Lois said lowly.

Chloe nodded. "We're gonna go door-to-door in the dorm and see if we can get any insight into the real Geoff Johns."

Chloe and Emmeline headed inside the building, but it didn't take long for them to come to an obstacle.

When Chloe tried the door to get inside the dorms, it wouldn't open without a pass.

"Ah, crap," Chloe groaned. "Come on, we need to go grab Lois's card."

They quickly retraced their steps and went outside the building.

"Lois!" Chloe called. "We need your pass to get in the dorm! Lois?"

A black car belonging to Geoff sped off.

Lois was nowhere in sight.

"Lois!" Chloe called again.

"Chloe," Emmeline said quietly pointing to the ground.

Chloe looked at where she was pointing and knelt down. Her heart sinking, she picked up a pair of broken sunglasses.

"Lois…"

* * *

"Clark," Chloe called as he exited one of the buildings. "Clark, I think Geoff has Lois."

"Where?" Clark asked quickly.

"I don't know. But we were in the parking lot and the next I thing I knew, Geoff Johns' car is flying by and Lois is gone. Em and I tried to talk to the campus police but they weren't any help. I mean, to them, Geoff is like a hero. They worship the ground he walks on. Lois could be anywhere by now, Clark."

"No, if they're in his car, there might be a way to track them down."

"I hate to break it to you, but this is a little bit bigger city than Smallville."

"He got his car from a booster at Metropolis Motors. It's got a Trip Star system in it. If we can get the PIN number, we can use your cell phone and computer and maybe hack in and find out where they are."

"Okay, that's doable, but then how are we gonna get the PIN? I mean, they keep those things under lock and key at the dealership. What are you gonna do, break in and rip open the safe?"

Clark looked at her strangely. "Of course not."

For some reason, the tension between them increased and Emmeline didn't know the reason why.

It wasn't the first time this had happened either.

* * *

"Are we in yet?" Clark asked impatiently as Chloe attempted to hack into Geoff's car.

"Yeah," Chloe answered as she pulled up the Trip Star website up. "All we got to do is dial up, use the code, and do our best impression of Geoff Johns." She smiled a little as Clark dialed the phone. "You know, that was a pretty quick errand, Clark. I mean, Metro Motors is all the way on the other side of the city."

"…I hurried."

"Hello, Mr. Johns," a woman on the phone said. "How may I help you?"

Clark quickly put the phone to his ear. "Hello. Hi." He nervously cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "Um, I'm driving in Metropolis and I seem to have made a wrong turn. There's no street signs and my map screen is broken. Could you tell me where I am?"

"No problem, sir. One moment."

A map appeared on Chloe's screen, revealing Geoff's location.

"You're at 3rd and Grant. Have a nice day."

"Thank you."

Chloe quickly closed her laptop. "Great. All right. Let's go. I'll drive."

Emmeline went to grab her things. When she looked back up, Clark was gone.

"Clark?"

Emmeline sighed. "I'm telling you, one of these days, we are going to figure out how he does that."

Chloe smiled, and Emmeline could've sworn she looked nervous. "Uh-huh."

"You know, you've been acting really weird. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"…No."

"But if there was something, you would tell me, right?"

"Of course."

"Are…are you trying to get Clark to admit something?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it just feels like you've been baiting him for the past couple of days. Do you know something about him that I don't?"

"If Clark wants to tell us something, I'm sure he will when the time is right."

* * *

Geoff nearly drowned Lois after paralyzing her, but Clark managed to apprehend Geoff and pull her out of the water before too much entered her lungs.

"Hey!" Emmeline smiled as she entered Clark's loft. "How's Lois doing?"

"She's good," Clark replied. "The paralysis number Geoff did on her wore off, so she's back to her usual snarky self."

"Good to hear."

"It's hard to believe that someone as nice as Geoff could kill his own roommate just to protect his reputation."

"Some people can't handle pressure very well."

"It's made me wonder if Met U and football is the right choice for me. What do you think?"

"Well, Geoff started using his powers on people because of all the pressure he was under. He was so desperate to win all of his games that he felt he had to do whatever it took, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then you have to ask yourself, when that time comes, and it will come, are you going to want to do the same thing?"

* * *

Clark walked down the halls of Smallville High to head to his next class, a part of him wondering what the heck he was supposed to do after he graduated.

"Hey!" Chloe exclaimed as she and Emmeline started walking next to him. "Looks like you've got a carpool buddy for weekenders back to Smallville!"

"You got into Met U?" Clark asked excitedly.

"I just told Em! The financial aid guy said that it's pretty much a lock. Can you believe it? Now I don't actually have to rob banks."

"Oh, Chloe, congratulations. You deserve it."

"Thank you. You just have to promise me one thing: that once you're everybody's all-American, you will still remember your old high school buddies. I mean, you'll still say hi to me on campus and stuff."

"Yeah, um, well, I'm not going to Met U."

"What?" Chloe said in disbelief. She stepped in front of him to make him stop walking. "What happened? Did another school sweep down and give you the keys to the kingdom?"

"I'm not playing football anymore. I turned down my scholarship."

Emmeline thought back to their conversation in his loft. She had a feeling she had something to do with this decision. Maybe Clark had decided that he wouldn't be able to handle all of the pressure that came with playing football. She was impressed he had made such a difficult decision.

"Let me get this straight," Chloe continued, still confused. "You were offered a full ride with chrome wheels to play the game that you love, and you said 'Thanks, but no thanks'?"

"I don't know. I'm just not sure that football's my calling."

Chloe smiled a little. "I'm proud of you, Clark."

"You're proud of me? Why?"

"I just have a feeling that you're destined to do a lot more in this world than just score touchdowns."

"Chloe, you've been saying a lot of weird things to me lately. What makes you think I'm destined to do anything?"

"Just a hunch."


	80. Krypto

Having been kicked out of Metropolis University for drinking, Lois now stayed at the Kent farm.

Though Clark was the one who had suggested it, he currently wished he never had.

He stepped out of the barn and saw Chloe's car approaching. Both Chloe and Emmeline hopped out.

"Hey, guys," he greeted.

"Hey," Chloe smiled. "Lois, uh, had her mail forwarded to my apartment. Is she around?"

"Yeah, she's probably still in the, uh, shower."

A golden retriever happily trotted out of the barn and joined the group.

Emmeline tensed as Chloe knelt down to pet it.

"Hi!" she giggled excitedly. "Who's the puppy?"

"We don't know his name," Clark answered. "Lois found him."

"She's bringing home strays now, huh?" She stood up while Emmeline kept a nervous eye on the dog. "How is the new tenant?"

"Lois? Well, she, uh, re-recorded our answering machine, uses all the hot water, oh, and she took over my bedroom. She's doing great."

"Okay. How are you?"

"I don't know. It's just kind of hard to be myself with her around."

"Yeah, but now you got this guy. You can be yourself around him, right?"

Clark smiled at her.

"And I'm always around." After a small pause, she quickly added, "Both of us are."

Chloe may have said both of them, but lately, Emmeline had been feeling that Chloe and Clark knew something she didn't. She tried not to let it bug her because she believed that if they had a secret, there was a good reason they hadn't shared it with her. But Chloe always told her everything, and not knowing what this secret was was starting to eat away at her.

"Ooh, it's cold," Chloe laughed. "I'm gonna go see if I can find her."

"All right. I'll be right in."

"Okay."

Clark looked over at Emmeline nervously eyeing his new pet. He smiled a little at her. "You okay?"

"Uh…I'm just not really good with dogs."

"What? But you're good at everything."

"As honored as I am that you think so, you are completely wrong. It's not like a had a traumatic childhood experience with them or anything, I just…I'm not good with them."

"This little guy won't hurt you."

"Unless provoked."

"So don't provoke him."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Emmeline said sarcastically.

"Relax. He's nice."

"Um, I think I'm gonna go inside now."

"Suit yourself."

Emmeline hurried inside, praying Clark would stop the dog from chasing after her if the situation arose.

Luckily, the dog stayed put and she made it inside unscathed.

Chloe laughed when she saw her. "I haven't seen you this nervous since I once asked you to interview someone. What's wrong?"

"I'm not a dog person, okay?"

"You don't like dogs? How come?"

"I don't know. I'm one of those people who is just somewhat afraid of them for no particular reason."

"At least you're not allergic," Lois complained with another sneeze.

The three girls headed outside and their eyes widened. Clark's tractor was now in the yard surrounded by a broken fence. Clark just knelt down petting the dog attached to the tractor seemingly unfazed by what had happened.

"What did you do?" Lois asked in disbelief.

"What?" Clark said as he quickly stood up. "Oh, I, um…it must have rolled."

"Through a fence?"

"Yeah, weird, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, weird," Chloe quickly put in. "But, I mean, it happens, you know? The emergency brake must've slipped or something. It's old, you know? It's an old tractor."

"It is old," Clark added.

Emmeline looked at friend strangely. Since when did Chloe come to his defense about the weird things happening around him? She was usually ready to dive into investigating the cause head first.

"Anyway, we're gonna get going. We'll see you guys around."

"Keep us updated on the owner search," Emmeline called as they walked back to the car.

* * *

Emmeline walked into the barn where Clark was aimlessly leaning against one of the wooden beams. "Um, is your dad okay?"

Clark looked up at her. "Yeah, he's gonna be fine."

"Does my unreasonable fear make a little more sense now?"

"I guess. Most dogs aren't attackers like that one. And I don't think that the one who attacked my dad is a bad dog either. Whoever the owner is is the one who's bad. You know, my dog actually defended my dad from the one attacking him."

Emmeline smiled. "Your dog?"

Clark laughed lightly. "You know what I mean."

"Where is he anyway?"

"He disappeared with the other one. I have no idea where he is now. I figured I would check out the shelter tomorrow and try to figure out where he may have gone. Then I can also see if I know who the owners are. I think there's a guy who works at the shelter who may be familiar with them."

"What makes you say that?"

"When Lois and I took him there, he was really anxious around the worker. Almost like he knew him. And you know what they say. Dogs and babies are the best judges of character."

"That doesn't seem like enough to suspect him of knowing this dog."

"There's more. There's a man who's in a coma right now who was attacked by something that could break through a steel door."

"And this dog would be capable of that?"

"When we took the dog to the shelter, the ID chip showed he was owned by LuthorCorp. When I talked to Lex, it turns out they used to do experiments on dogs for military use. I guess these two dogs survived and now are being used to steal."

"That's terrible."

"The only reason my dad got attacked in the first place is because we had one of the dogs. Now since the only two people who knew about this dog were Lex and the shelter—"

"—then the guy at the shelter had to be the one who sent the dog after you guys. This is a lot to take in."

"I just hope I can find him before he gets hurt."

"I didn't know you liked animals so much."

"You may not be a dog lover, but I am."

"He did seem to like you more than the average dog would. It seems even strays warm up to you quickly. Keep me updated, okay?"

"Okay, Chloe."

Emmeline gave him a playful glare as she exited the barn.

* * *

As Emmeline drove home from picking up some of her mother's medication, she was confused to see a LuthorCorp armored truck drive past her. The way home was on one of the back roads and not a lot of people traveled on them, much less an armored truck.

What was even weirder was the large black truck following it.

Her mind went back to her conversation with Clark the night before. He said that people were using the dogs to steal. An armored truck for LuthorCorp was going to have a lot of money in it.

Against her better judgement, she followed the two trucks off a beaten path. She allowed the two trucks some distance so that whoever the criminals were didn't realize that she was following them.

She quietly got out of the car and hid behind a large stack of wood out of sight of the truck drivers.

The criminals got out of the black truck and released the two dogs from the back. The dogs mercilessly beat the guards driving the armored truck before the two men tied them up. Then they began getting the money out of the armored truck into the black truck.

Emmeline shakily got out her cell phone and dialed Lois's number, silently blessing Chloe for giving it to her even though she had been sure she would never need it.

"Hello?" Lois answered.

"Lois?" Emmeline said quietly as she leaned against the wood stack. "Is Clark with you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I think I found the two guys who own those dogs."

"What are you talking about? Where are you?"

"Um…I'm around—"

"What do you think you're doing?!" the blond criminal exclaimed as he closed the cell phone and pinned her against the stack. "Who are you?"

Emmeline breathed raggedly as he held her in place, unable to answer him.

"Who were you calling just now? The police?"

She quickly shook her head.

"I don't believe you."

Emmeline had no time to brace herself before the man's fist met her face. She crumpled to the ground in pain. He then kicked her twice in the stomach.

"Josh, what are you doing?!" the other man yelled when he realized where the first had gone.

"She's seen us, Zack. Either we take care of her or this will all have been for nothing."

The blond one known as Josh put his arms under Emmeline's shoulders and dragged her to the black truck.

"Wait, we can't do this," Zack said fearfully.

"It's her or us, little brother."

Zack watched as his brother hefted the girl up into the truck between the two cages that held Einstein and Hercules.

"Get the rest of the money! And hurry up! Whoever she was talking to is onto us now."

Emmeline groaned as she held her stomach. Despite being in between two dogs, she was in too much pain to be afraid of them.

Black spots began to dance across her vision. The last thing she remembered was the golden retriever whimpering near her head.

* * *

While Lois checked on the injured guards, Clark quickly opened the back of the black truck. His eyes widened when he saw Emmeline unconscious in between the two cages.

"Em?"

He hopped inside and checked for a pulse. A large bruise had formed on her cheek.

He'd get her out, but he needed to get the dogs out of the cages first.

"Don't worry, buddy, we'll get you out of here," he said to the golden retriever.

He pressed a button to open the cage door. Unfortunately, he didn't notice the kryptonite vials sitting on top of the cage. When the door opened, the contents of the vials splashed onto the floor.

Clark immediately felt the effects of the deadly poison. He weakly fell against the other cage, the dog inside regarding him curiously.

The retriever looked up inside the truck to Clark as if questioning why he wasn't following.

The truck started up and took off. The door to the back slammed shut, effectively trapping both him and Emmeline inside.

When the truck finally came to a stop, Clark grimaced when he bumped into the cage again which sent another wave of hot pain through his body.

One of the back doors opened, but he barely noticed.

"Where's Einstein?" Zack asked.

Josh angrily opened the other door and discovered Clark leaning against the dog cage.

"It's that guy from the animal shelter."

Josh smirked. "Well, well, well. Looks like someone has some explaining to do." His brow furrowed in confusion. "Wait a minute, did that girl call you?" He looked over at his brother. "Why didn't she call the police?"

"I don't know," Zack answered.

"Whatever."

The blond climbed up into the truck and forced Clark into Einstein's cage. With the kryptonite still glowing beside him, Clark was powerless to stop him.

While Zack got the money out of the truck and into their car, Josh poured gasoline all over the truck.

He came to the back and smirked at Clark again. "Well, you just had to be a hero, didn't you? Sometimes heroes get burned."

If he didn't get the kryptonite away from him soon, things weren't looking good for him or Emmeline. But now that he was trapped in a cage, he had no idea how to get himself out much less her.

Josh and Zack continued to get all of the money out of the truck.

Meanwhile, Einstein, who had followed the truck's path, ran up to it and jumped inside. He pushed one of the buttons with his nose and Clark fell out of the cage. Einstein grabbed his jacket and pulled him out of the truck onto the ground.

The pain slowly began to leave him now that he was a good distance away from the horrible green liquid. He tried to get up, but his legs buckled and he collapsed against the side of the truck.

Einstein came next to him and licked his face.

Clark took a few deep breaths to regain his composure.

Josh lit up a flare and smiled. Then he tossed the flare onto the gasoline covered truck and watched with satisfaction as the flames quickly began to engulf the black vehicle.

His smiled disappeared when he and Zack turned around and saw Clark standing in front of them.

"Going somewhere?"

With no effort, Clark picked up the two men and tossed them into the side of the house.

He frantically turned at the sound of barking. The other dog had been released from his cage, but Einstein was trapped inside the truck with Emmeline. Her jacket collar was in the dog's mouth as if he had been trying to pull her out but couldn't now because the flames blocked his way.

Clark ran over to the truck, realizing how high the flames had become. He sped inside, skillfully avoiding the fire, and picked up the dog.

He gently but quickly dropped him outside of the truck.

"Run!" he ordered.

The dog obediently raced away from the flaming vehicle.

Clark quickly hefted Emmeline into his arms and sped outside of the truck.

With seconds to spare, the truck exploded in a fiery blaze.

Clark covered Emmeline with his body to protect her from the blast.

When the fire died down, Clark held her in his arms and looked her over to confirm that she hadn't been injured beyond whatever pain Josh had inflicted upon her.

"Emmeline?" he said as he gently put his hand to her cheek. "Em?"

The golden retriever came up to her and licked her face. The action slowly helped her begin to regain consciousness.

"Hey," Clark smiled. "You're gonna be okay."

* * *

"Have I thanked you for yet another save?" Emmeline smiled as she walked inside the barn.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Well, that blond guy certainly can pack a punch. But I'll survive."

"Do you remember anything?"

"I was going in and out so what I do remember doesn't even make sense. I can tell you that I remember your little friend trying to help me."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he tried to pull me out of the truck, but by that point, the fire must've been too much. So…I guess he can make an exception in my book."

The golden retriever slowly approached Emmeline. She cautiously knelt down and pet his head. The unreasonable part of her brain kept expecting for him to bite her hand off, but it obviously never happened.

"He's not so bad," she confessed.

"You're looking at a perfectly normal dog."

"What?"

"I guess whatever made him strong was only temporary. They probably had to keep dosing him. But now that it's out of his system, he's back to normal."

"That's good news." She slowly stood up again. "How exactly did I get out of there?"

"I pulled you out."

"Yeah, I figured that, but how did you not get any burns or anything?"

"I got a couple. They were just minor."

"This is why I stay out of things. It always comes back to bite me…and you."

"There's no way you could've known all this was going to happen."

"I guess I was just lucky that you were there."

"I'll always be there."

Emmeline smiled at him. "I know you will."


	81. Sacred

**This is one of those episodes where there was literally nowhere for me to put Emmeline. So while this is technically "filler", I also feel it's really important to Emmeline's character.**

* * *

"Here, Mom, I made some chicken," Emmeline said as she came to the living room and tried to hand the plate to her mother.

"No, thanks, hon," her mother replied. "I'm not hungry."

"I know, but you haven't eaten all day. You need something or you're just going to feel worse. Come on."

Her mother sighed as she took the plate. "You're so bossy," she teased.

"Only because I care about you. Finish that, then eat a little bit of yogurt, and I won't hound you anymore."

"All right."

"And yes, I will put granola in it. You're drinking your water, right?"

"I thought I was supposed to be the mom here."

Emmeline laughed lightly. "You're helping me practice for potential motherhood."

She returned to the kitchen and prepared a very small bowl of vanilla yogurt with granola pieces in it.

"What do you say?" she asked as she took away the empty plate and handed her the bowl. " _Legally Blonde_ tonight?"

"Sounds good."

Emmeline put the movie into the DVD player and crashed on the couch next to her mother while she fixed her pink bandana on her bald head.

When the montage of the main character, Elle Woods, showed her attempting to get into Harvard so she could follow her ex-boyfriend and convince him to love her again, her mother turned to look at her.

"Speaking of, how are college applications coming along?"

Emmeline groaned. "So many essays and transcripts and awful SATs! Can't the admissions people just accept us if we put in a request?"

"It would be easier, but then it wouldn't be college. What's the hardest essay you've had to write so far?"

"Um…there was one where I had to imagine I worked for admissions and what kind of qualities I'd want to see in potential candidates."

"What did you say?"

"Grades are important, but character is what makes a person. If a person only makes good grades, where will that get them? Someone doesn't have to know what they want as soon as they enter college because college is all about finding an identity and getting an idea for the future. But someone coming into college needs to have at least some fundamentals. Are they a genuinely good and kind person or do they only focus on their own wants and needs? Do they make an effort to help others or do they spend all their time thinking about how to improve their own lives?"

Her mother smiled at her. "Seems like a good answer to me. Have you thought about what you're going to study?"

"I'm not sure. Chloe's been pushing for me to do something in Journalism, but as much as I love working at the Torch, it's not my passion. But that takes up so much of my time, I haven't really done anything else. I don't even know what my passion is."

"College is the time to find your passion. Like you just said, you don't need to have it all together right now."

"I know."

"I have no doubt that you will find something that you love. You're good at that."

They continued to watch the movie until they got to the scene where Elle was consoled by the man with whom she would eventually fall in love with.

"You have your sights on anyone?" her mother asked her daughter.

Emmeline lightly scoffed. "No, I do not."

"What about Clark?" she teased.

"Mom!"

"What?"

"No, I do not like Clark like that."

"Honey," Audrey said, her voice becoming gentler. "I know you miss Pete. But I don't want you to miss any opportunities that may come your way."

"Believe me, Pete is not the only reason I'm not seeing anyone."

"But he is a reason."

Emmeline didn't answer her.

"Clark is such a sweet boy, and he has done so much for you these past few years. You've done a lot for him too."

"Clark has done way more than I'll ever be able to do for him."

"He may do the actions, but you have the words. In my opinion, they're equally important, and I think he'd agree with me."

"I don't know, it would feel kind of wrong. Chloe likes him too. Back in freshman year, we both made a deal that if either of us ever dated Clark, the other would be happy for her. But it still kind of feels like I'd be betraying her, you know? She's liked him for a lot longer than I have."

"So you do like him?"

"I did when I first met him. But it doesn't matter how I feel about Clark now anyway because he only has eyes for Lana."

"He's liked her for a while, hasn't he? Back when she was dating that Whitney boy?"

"Probably long before then."

"She's dating someone else now, isn't she?"

"Yeah, Jason, some guy she met while she was in Paris."

"Can't he take a hint?"

"Mom!" Emmeline laughed.

"I'm just saying!"

"Lana confessed that she did love him last year, but after her leg was shattered, things got a little tense between them and sort of have been ever since."

"As unfortunate as that is, if he only allows himself to desire her, he's going to miss out on knowing another great girl. You, for instance."

"What's the deal with you wanting me and Clark to get together all of a sudden?"

Her mother smiled fondly and gently pushed a strand of Emmeline's hair behind her ear, running her fingers along the length of the long brown locks. "You're such a beautiful and intelligent girl. I just want you to be happy."

Emmeline smiled back at her mother. "I am happy. If Clark and I are meant to be, it'll happen in time. If not, I'm sure I'll find someone someday."

"I know you will."

Emmeline leaned into her mother's arms as they continued to watch the rest of the movie. Her mother's fingers gently trailed through her hair, lightly grazing across her scalp.

When her father walked through the door home from work, he looked at the couch and smiled as he saw his daughter wrapped protectively in his wife's arms, both of them sound asleep.

* * *

"Hey, Em, have you finished proofreading those two articles?" Chloe asked as she edited the next issue together.

"Yeah, this one's done and I'm just finishing up the other one."

"Great."

Emmeline circled a few more errors in the article and then handed both of them to Chloe.

"Hey, Chloe?"

"Mm-hm?"

"Look…I know you've been acting differently lately."

"What do you mean?"

"Clearly, you know and Clark know something that I don't."

"Em—"

"I'm not stupid. And as much as I want to know what this is, I trust you, and I know that you must have a good reason for not telling me."

Chloe sighed. "It's not my secret to tell."

"And I respect that. But you don't have to keep acting like there's not some secret because I know there is."

"Believe me, I want to tell you. But you know…Clark doesn't even know that I know this secret. I want him to tell me when he feels it's right."

"I don't think Clark realizes how lucky he is to have a friend like you."

* * *

Emmeline smiled as she knocked on the wooden steps leading up to Clark's loft. "So, you want to tell me why you dropped everything and went to _China_?"

Clark laughed lightly as he turned to her. "Well, Lana needed—"

"Yeah, okay, you don't need to say anything else. The lengths you are willing to go to for that girl are astounding."

"Come on, Em, you know I'd do the same for you."

Emmeline smiled a little. "You know…I'm not sure if that's true."

Clark started to protest, but she stopped him.

"I have no doubt in my mind that you would do a lot for me or Chloe or someone else you care about. But if we needed to go to a foreign country for whatever reason, I don't know if you would come with us. The fact is that you care about Lana in a way that runs deeper than the way you care about other people. And that's understandable because you were…excuse me, _are_ in love with her. And because of that deeper connection, you're going to want to do more for her."

Clark looked at her for a moment, pondering what she was saying to him. Finally, he told her, "No. I'd go with you to a foreign country in a heartbeat if you needed me to."

Emmeline smiled wider, impressed with his reply. She certainly hadn't expected it.

"I think the real question here is why did you not take me with you to China? I want to travel."

"Shanghai is huge and incredibly busy. You would hate the crowds."

She laughed lightly. "I suppose you have a point."


	82. Lucy

Prior to Lois coming to Smallville, Emmeline hadn't even been aware that Chloe had one Lane cousin much less two.

But Lucy Lane's sudden and unplanned appearance in the small town changed all of that.

The girl who was about their age was extremely beautiful and was very nearly the definition of perfection.

As she explained all of her talents and achievements to her and Chloe, Emmeline struggled to find a single flaw with her.

The three girls walked into the Talon to introduce Lucy to the famed delicious coffee (not to mention it had been a while since Emmeline had had herself a vanilla bean frappucino) and found Clark talking with Lex.

What was unusual was Lois behind the counter wearing an apron clumsily trying to fill orders.

"Whoa, is that Lois with a tray?" Chloe smiled. "Hey, cuz!"

Lois gave them a thin smile as she took the tray with a customer's order on it and hurried over to one of the tables.

"Yes, it is," Clark replied. "It's kind of like a free floor show. Have you two been catching up?"

"Um, yeah. Lucy's just filling us in on all her hidden talents. She was a violinist for the Zurich Youth Orchestra."

Lucy smiled modestly. "It was nothing. It's just a hobby."

"Given their reputation in Europe, I highly doubt that," Lex told her.

Clark quickly looked between them. "Oh, sorry, Lucy, this is—"

"Lex Luthor," Lucy finished for him as she shook Lex's hand. "I read your profile in _Fortune_ magazine a couple months ago. I thought your theories on the future of American business were very interesting."

Emmeline wondered how Lucy seemed to know everything about anything. Was there anything the girl couldn't do?

Lex smiled, clearly impressed with her knowledge. "Well, I'd be curious to know what you think of my piano skills. Drop by the mansion. I'd love to play with a serious musician."

A loud crash rang out through the coffee shop. They all looked over to find that Lois had dropped her tray, and a glass cup had shattered everywhere.

"Oh, crap!" Lois exclaimed, kneeling down to pick up the glass.

Chloe laughed lightly to the others. "I'm gonna go help her out."

As Chloe went to help her poor cousin clean up the shards of glass, Clark looked towards the back of the Talon.

"Lucy, who's that guy staring at you back there?"

Lucy and Emmeline turned around to see where he was looking, but neither of them saw anyone out of the ordinary.

They turned back around with questioning looks.

"Who was it?" Emmeline asked.

"I'm not sure…"

* * *

As it turned out, even the most perfect people weren't perfect.

Lucy had gotten in trouble with a loan shark and now owed fifty thousand dollars to a man from Germany.

Chloe pulled up the man's profile on her computer. "His name is Marcus Becker. He's a bouncer at a club called Kronos in Zurich with a résumé chock full of felonies. Apparently, this club is a front for the kind of people that you don't want to owe money to."

"I wish she'd just tell Lois," Clark said.

"She doesn't have to."

The three of them turned to find that Lois had entered the Torch office.

"I knew her hop, skip, and a jump over the Atlantic wasn't because she missed her big sister, and if this guy is bothering Lucy, then I'm gonna find him. We're gonna have a little talk."

Lois started storming out of the office, but Chloe quickly pulled her back. "Lois, before you go all Lifetime heroine, remember that this is not the school bully she's dealing with."

"Seriously, she is in trouble," Clark insisted. "But I think I know someone who can help."

Lois and Clark headed over to Lex's mansion to ask for some assistance with Lucy's situation.

"Chloe, don't take this the wrong way, but I have never met cousins like yours before," Emmeline said to her best friend.

Chloe smiled a little. "That's probably a good thing."

"Kind of makes me feel glad I'm an only child."

"Have you ever wished for siblings before?"

Emmeline thought back to her childhood. "Sometimes. When I was growing up, I wished that I had someone who would help me open up and make friends. What about you?"

"I mainly wanted someone when Mom left us. I just wanted one person to know exactly what I was going through."

"I can understand that."

"Did you parents not ever think about adopting another child?"

"I think they always wanted to give me a sibling, but it was just too expensive to adopt again. And we all knew Mom couldn't get pregnant, so unless a miracle happened, I was going to remain an only child. They're probably thankful they got me instead of some wild and crazy person."

"I guess being an only child really isn't too bad, is it?"

Emmeline smiled as she went next to her. "No. Because I met you. And you are more of a sister to me than anyone. You gave me everything I ever wanted from a sibling."

Chloe smiled broadly, touched by her words. "You're like my sister too."

* * *

Emmeline took back pretty much every thought about Lucy Lane being perfect. It turned out that the loan shark, Marcus Becker, was working with Lucy to weasel money out of Lex. It almost worked too, but after Marcus kidnapped Lois and Lucy, Lex and his men quickly caught up with them. Unfortunately, Lucy managed to evade Lex's men and took off. No one knew if or when they would ever hear from her again.

"Hey," Chloe smiled as she and Emmeline approached Clark in the hallway.

"Hey," Clark smiled back.

"Have you recovered from Hurricane Lucy yet?"

"I just hope she changes her ways before she gets herself hurt."

"You know, it never fails. Keeping secrets always leads to trouble. I don't know which is more difficult: being the one keeping the secret or the one who's being duped."

By this point, Emmeline was aware that there was some secret between Clark and Chloe that she didn't know. And while Chloe knew the secret, Clark didn't know that she knew. So ever since she had found out this secret, she had been baiting Clark and trying to get him to tell her his secret so everything could be out in the open.

Emmeline just wanted Clark to confess whatever the secret was because maybe if he realized Chloe knew, he would confide in her as well.

"Have you, uh, talked to Lois?" Clark asked, quickly changing the subject.

Apparently, the big confession wasn't going to be today.

"She's been holed up in her room all day. She took it all pretty hard."

"Yeah, well, ever since I could remember, the one thing Lois has always wanted is to protect her little sister."

"I guess no matter how bad you want to, you just can't save everyone."

Chloe smirked at him. "But it doesn't stop you from trying. Does it, Clark?"

She smiled broadly as she Emmeline headed towards the Torch office.

* * *

"I have some big news," Emmeline announced to Chloe and Clark as they worked on the next Torch issue together.

"What is it?" Clark asked.

"I think…I've decided what I'm going to study next year."

"Really? What are you thinking?"

"You know…it was actually a conversation that you and I had our sophomore year. I don't remember what exactly we were talking about, but you asked if I had ever considered a job in psychology because I'm really good with people one-on-one. That kept coming back to me these past few weeks. Because you were right. A few years ago, I could barely even look at someone, much less hold a conversation with them. The mere thought of talking with someone about their problems would send me straight into my room with the door locked.

"But…when Lucy was here, it struck me that even though I had never met her before, I wasn't really uncomfortable around her. It's because of you guys that…I'm not afraid of talking to people anymore. I still don't do crowds very well, but I'm a lot better at dealing with people one at a time. So that's why…I'm going to study to become a psychologist."

Chloe and Clark smiled at her.

"That's great, Em!" Chloe said. "It's perfect for you."

"It gets better. At Central Kansas where I've decided I'm going to go, there's a group of professors who agree about the effects the meteor rocks have on people. And there's a whole class dedicated to it." She laughed lightly. "PSYC 412. Psychology of the Meteor-Affected."

"You're kidding," Clark laughed.

"No. After everything we've dealt with in the past few years and seeing how these people act and how getting their powers affects them, I want to be able to help them."

Clark smiled fondly at her. "You're going to help a lot of people, Emmeline. I'm sure of that."


	83. Onyx

"Lex, are you okay?" Clark demanded as he, Chloe, and Emmeline rushed into one of the examination rooms in the hospital.

"Clark, I'm fine," Lex replied, standing up from the table. "How did you know I was here?"

"One of your EMTs is a friend of mine," Chloe told him. "She said there was an explosion at LuthorCorp?"

"What happened?" Clark asked.

"We were conducting an experiment," Lex explained.

"Well, I'm guessing it didn't go well."

"Not exactly as I hoped, but it was worth the risk."

"I'm sure it was," Chloe said with a hint of iciness in her tone. "To LuthorCorp's bottom line."

"To the world, Chloe. Look, why don't the two of you come with me to the lab, and I'll show you what Dr. Sinclair and I have been working on? I really think you're gonna like this one."

Lex grabbed his coat off the hook and exited the room.

Clark looked at the two girls. "All right, let's go."

Chloe quickly grabbed his arm as he started to leave. "Clark, wait, I'm not buying any story from a Luthor without corroboration. So Em and I are gonna go talk to Dr. Sinclair and find out what he has to say about this."

"Okay. I'll check out the lab with Lex."

 **"** Just be careful, okay? I mean, no matter what he says, LuthorCorp experiments never end well."

Clark smiled, clearly unconcerned with her warning, and followed after Lex.

"Okay," Chloe said. "Now that we know your field of study, you can start practicing now."

"Uh, now?" Emmeline asked nervously.

"Relax. I'll ask the questions, but you can start seeing the psychology behind everything. Maybe in his actions or how he says things or however that works."

"What do you mean I'm starting now? Being friends with you and Clark has given me years of practice."

Chloe laughed lightly and headed off to Dr. Sinclair's room.

However, they were quite shocked by what they saw when they got there.

Lex stepped out of the room just as they arrived.

"Lex?" Chloe said in surprise.

Lex smiled suavely. "Chloe. Emmeline."

"I thought you left for the lab with Clark."

"Well, I just wanted to check in with Dr. Sinclair first."

"Hm. Was he all right?"

"Not feeling a thing."

"Well, I was hoping we could maybe talk to him."

"Well, he's sleeping now." He put his hand on her back and started leading the both of them away from the room. "Maybe you two should come back later when he's feeling a little more alive."

"Okay."

Lex continued walking down the hallway when a loud beeping noise sounded from the room behind them.

"Code blue, room 213, code blue, room 213," a woman announced.

Doctors and nurses rushed to Dr. Sinclair's room.

When the two girls looked down the hallway at Lex's retreating form, he stared back at them coldly as if he knew exactly what was happening.

It sent a shiver down their spines.

"He's arresting!" a doctor cried. "Defibrillator!"

The doctor began using a defibrillator on the unresponsive man.

Emmeline looked at Chloe in fear. "You don't think…"

"…It couldn't be."

* * *

Clark rushed into the Talon office to find Chloe and Emmeline working. "Chloe."

"Hey," she greeted. "It's about time. Pretty slow for the quarterback."

"Ex-quarterback. What's so important?"

"Dr. Sinclair."

"Did he say something about the explosion at LuthorCorp?"

"He couldn't. He's dead, Clark."

"What? What happened?"

"Cardiac arrest. In a guy with no history of heart problems."

"Well, I'd better go tell Lex."

"He already knows, I think. Em and I bumped into him coming out of Dr. Sinclair's room just before he died."

"When was this?"

"Right after you left for the lab."

"Well, Chloe, I was with Lex. We went to the lab together."

"Which would be about the same time I was talking to Lex outside Dr. Sinclair's room."

"Well, that's impossible."

"Not in Smallville. You of all people should know that." When she noticed Clark giving her a strange look, she quickly added, "You know, because of all the stuff you've seen."

"All the stuff _he's_ seen?" Emmeline asked sarcastically. "All of the stuff all of us have seen. You could fill a book with the amount of meteor freaks we've dealt with."

"Fair enough."

"There must be a way to figure out the timeline," Clark said.

"Yeah, there is. Smallville Medical Center has a surveillance system which, as far as the both of you know, I've never hacked into because that would be wrong."

The two of them nodded with small smiles. Chloe had hacked into everything, wrong or not.

"It's just gonna take a while."

"Call me if you find anything."

Clark left the office while Chloe began typing away at her computer and using all her skills to get the information they needed.

"Hey, you know, prom's coming up," the blonde mentioned. "Are you thinking of going with anyone?"

"Me? You're the one who likes Clark so much."

Chloe's cheeks reddened though she would always deny it. "If Clark is going with anyone, he's going with Lana."

"Lana's with Jason."

"So then he's probably not going with anyone."

"You don't give him enough credit. You could always ask him. Lots of people go to prom as friends."

"That would almost be worse. As nice as it would be go to prom with him, to be there as a friend, knowing that it will never be anything more, would just suck."

"I can see how that would be a bit torturous. Are you going at all?"

"Of course. We've waited four years to be able to go to prom. It's a huge part of the classic high school experience."

"Well, if neither of us end up finding a date, we can just be each other's date."

"Sounds like a deal. I have to make us hair appointments again then. We are going to go out even more than we did for Spring Formal."

"So dress shopping soon?"

"Naturally."

"Hopefully it doesn't take as long as last time. And isn't as expensive."

Chloe didn't answer her, her eyes transfixed on her computer.

"What is it?" Emmeline asked.

"Look at this."

As Chloe called Clark on his phone, Emmeline came around behind her and looked at the screen. There was old security footage from the hospital the previous night.

"Clark," Chloe said into her phone. "I found surveillance footage of Lex, me, and Em outside of Dr. Sinclair's room talking. And of you and Lex leaving the medical center." She clicked a button and the two images showed on the screen with their time stamps showing. "They're identical. Looks like our favorite billionaire has one heck of a split personality."

Emmeline sighed heavily. "Well, this isn't good."

* * *

That night, Clark brought Chloe and Emmeline to the lab that had previously exploded. The real Lex insisted that he was going to figure out how to get the other Lex and fix the whole mess.

"I want to thank you three for bringing this to my attention," Lex told them. "My security team is working to detain the situation."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Clark asked.

Lex's cell phone began ringing, and he quickly pulled it out to answer it. "Excuse me. Hello? I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and turned back to them. "This could be what I was hoping for. I'll be right back. Don't worry. This will all be over soon." As he left, he called back, "Keep an eye out for my security team."

Chloe peeked back to make sure he was out of sight before picking up a vial and examining its contents.

"Chloe, what are you doing?" Clark asked.

"Snooping where I don't belong," Chloe replied coyly. "I'm thinking of making a career out of it."

"Lex, said he was gonna be right back."

"How can you be sure it was really him?"

"I was careful. Besides, I think I know my own friend, Chloe."

"Clark, how many times has your friend done something underhanded that you didn't expect? People have a lot of different sides and sometimes they keep those sides hidden, even from the ones that they love."

Clark looked at her for second, considering her words. "Sometimes you have to, even if that's not what you want."

"Yeah, but sooner or later you have to trust them with what's in your heart. Otherwise, you're gonna end up going through life alone."

Emmeline could clearly read the subtext in their conversation. It all related back to the mysterious secret no one wanted to tell her.

She hoped Clark either confessed his secret or Chloe confessed she knew his secret or SOMETHING so that her friend would quit dangling the undisclosed knowledge in front of her face. If someone didn't do something soon, she was going to rip her hair out.

She decided to join in on the search of the lab, not fully convinced that the Lex they had just seen was the real Lex. Chloe had a point. There were several times Clark truly didn't know Lex at all, the whole murder scandal a few weeks ago being a prime example.

"Clark?" Chloe called urgently. "Clark!"

Clark and Emmeline quickly ran over to their shocked friend. Their eyes widened when they saw what she had discovered. A dead security officer had been stuffed inside the cabinet she had opened.

Suddenly, the huge platform above them began to drop, no doubt the work of the other Lex.

Clark's mind worked fast to figure out how to save his friends and his secret. Using his speed, he pushed Emmeline out of the way and then threw himself onto Chloe to protect her from the falling metal.

The platform crashed on top of them, but luckily, Clark's body kept them from receiving any major injuries.

He quickly summoned his strength and pushed the platform off the both of them.

"Chloe?" he quickly said kneeling down to his unconscious friend. He gently pushed the hair away from her eyes. "Chloe?"

When he hurriedly scanned the lab to see where Emmeline had ended up, he winced when he realized that he had accidently pushed her a little too hard and knocked her into one of the pillars. She too was unconscious.

At least he was confident his secret was safe. Now to think of how to explain himself out of this…

* * *

After helping his friends regain consciousness, Clark took the both of them back to the farm.

Chloe sat at the counter pressing a towel to the cut on her face while Emmeline held an ice pack on the back of her head.

"We really should get you both to the hospital," he said to them.

"Yeah, 'cause that worked out really well for Dr. Sinclair," Chloe answered. "Clark, we're fine, okay? Although I still can't figure out how we survived the sky falling on our heads. Can you?"

"Well, the last thing I remember was I pushed Em out of the way and then I grabbed you and we dove underneath the lab table. It must've protected us from the debris."

"Did you have to push me so hard?" Emmeline asked, wincing as she moved the ice pack. "You really have an arm on you. Football training must've worked."

Clark grimaced. "I'm sorry. I guess I don't know my own strength."

"I suppose considering the circumstances, I can let it slide."

Chloe laughed lightly. "Good thing our ex-quarterback moves so fast."

Clark furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at her injuries. "Yeah, well, not fast enough."

He lightly pushed her hair away from her face.

Emmeline knew that it was just to look at the bruise on her forehead, but a part of her thought the gesture was so kind and so gentle that it was extremely cute. She kind of wished Clark liked Chloe the same way she liked him. They complimented each other so well.

Chloe smiled warmly. "Clark, I can live with a couple of bruises considering the alternative. You're always there when I need you, Clark. I just hope someday I can do the same for you."

"Right now, I just want to make sure you're safe."

"I can—I can stay with Lois at the military base. Perfect. Although getting between her and the general while they're trying to reconcile might be just as dangerous." She put her coat on and headed towards the door. "Watch out, okay? Lex can be devious enough. There's no telling what his evil twin is capable of. I'll be on my cell."

Chloe smiled again as she left the farm.

Clark looked at Emmeline. "What about you?"

"I'm sure I'll be fine at home. Lex doesn't know where I live. Neither Lexes know very much about me really."

"Are you sure about that?"

"No. Not at all."

"Em, if something happened to you, I don't know what I would do."

Emmeline felt her breath catch a little. It had been a long time since she had genuinely liked Clark as more than a friend, and she wasn't sure how she felt now, but the way he said those words to her definitely made her feel something.

"I'll be okay. I trust you to figure things out. It's what you do."

"I'm glad you have such faith in me."

"Of course I do. I always have."

* * *

True to Clark's nature, he managed to fix the situation and merge the two Lexes back together again.

Which meant that the true Lex had to go around and apologize for what his double had done to everyone.

When there was a knock on the Torch office door, Chloe and Emmeline realized it was their turn.

"Uh, I guess I'll save all the awkward greetings," Lex said sheepishly as he came in. "Clark told me what happened when my double took you to the lab. I'm really sorry for what my double did to you."

"It's okay, Lex," Chloe told him. "We know you would never do something like that."

"Of course not. I would never want to hurt either one of you."

"We believe you. And it's fine because Clark was able to protect us."

Lex laughed lightly. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I'm glad you're back to normal."

"Thanks. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Lex."

Lex smiled a little and left the office.

"Well, that was kind of awkward," Emmeline said. "Although I know how he feels. After healing from the Nicodemus flower, I had to go around apologizing to everyone without even knowing what I had done."

"I had the same thing happen when I got poisoned with that parasite in the caves."

"Clearly, we need to move somewhere where we don't constantly do really weird things and then lose our memories of it."

"But it makes life interesting, doesn't it?"

"It certainly does."


	84. Spirit

'"Election of Prom royalty is an archaic and elitist ritual whose time has come and gone'," Lana read from the latest Torch issue. "Chloe Sullivan strikes again."

"What?" Chloe smirked. "Oh, please don't tell me I lost you to tiara fever too."

"No. But balloons and taffeta seem a little harmless compared to your usual targets."

"Well, this is how I see it. Homecoming is for jocks, graduation is for parents, and prom is the rite of passage that's for all of us. It's supposed to be a culmination of four years of memories. Why do we have to ruin it with the pinnacle of a popularity contest?"

"So, does that mean I order more pizza for the Brad Pitt marathon?"

"What? You're not going? What happened with Jason?"

"Showing up with the coach that got fired for dating a student? That is an entrance I could live without."

"Right."

"Besides, after imagining something for four years, I just don't think it could live up to expectations."

"Well, not if you're part of the 'half-empty' persuasion. And the Lana I know wouldn't cop out like that. Come on, Lana, it's gonna be so much fun! Lex even got Lifehouse to play for the seniors. You can help Em and I bring stag back in style."

Lana laughed.

"Excuse me. Coming through."

Lana, Chloe, and Emmeline looked down the hall to find one of the worst girls in school walking their way followed by her loyal followers: Dawn Stiles.

"Smells like school spirit," Chloe muttered to the two of them.

Dawn marched up to Chloe. "Chloe, you may think bashing a sacred school tradition in your tabloid rag is cool, but I think it's disgusting."

"Lighten up, Dawn," Chloe smiled back. "You'll get your throne because the entire school is terrified of you and your vicious rumor mill."

Dawn pushed her hair behind her ear. "Kill me now! You are such a 'hypocrat'."

"Hypo—"

The three friends quickly tried to suppress their laughter at the high school senior's poor word choice.

"I'm sorry," Chloe mustered out. "Whatever it is that you're saying to me, it's getting lost in translation."

"Don't play stupid. The only reason your picture is on that wall is because of your lame article."

"What picture? What wall?"

Dawn looked at the wall behind them. The three of them turned, and Chloe's smile fell flat onto the floor.

There for all to see was a poster of the prom nominees. Along with Dawn and Paige Dejong, Chloe's face was right next to them.

Lana and Emmeline looked at each other and smiled broadly.

"I would say 'May the best girl win'," Dawn continued smugly. "But I think we both know who that is. Hm? Laters!"

She waved at them and took off down the hallway with her followers.

Lana smiled again. "So, apparently, I'm not the only one who enjoyed your article." She curtseyed for her. "Your Highness." Lana laughed and patted her on the shoulder. "Good luck."

Their raven-haired friend left for class.

Emmeline smiled. "Why the frown? Do you know how many people would kill to be in your position?"

"That's just it!" Chloe lamented. "The whole point of that article was my stance _against_ this stupid thing! Why would they vote for me?"

"Maybe because you don't let people like Dawn stand in your way and you aren't afraid to say what you believe in."

"It's still a popularity contest."

"Then I guess you're more popular than you thought!"

Chloe stormed off to the Torch office and found Clark sitting at his desk looking at the latest issue.

"Now, should I bow to you when I see you, or…" he teased.

"Cute," Chloe shot back. "Very cute. What about boycotting the vote didn't anyone understand?"

"Oh, they understand it perfectly. You see, you are the boycott. I mean, think about it. The last four years, everyone has been trying to break out of the stereotype they've been stuck in. You're the battle cry."

"Oh. The great Smallville High Prom coup, huh?"

Clark smiled up at her.

"Clark, you didn't happen to have anything to do with this, did you?"

"I may have spoken to a few people."

Chloe threw her pencil at him and Clark quickly held up the newspaper to block it from hitting him. Emmeline thought the whole thing was extremely cute. Clark convincing people to vote for Chloe from prom queen? It was adorable! She couldn't understand why Clark didn't feel the same way about her she did for him.

"Now, I know you're not gonna let me storm this Bastille alone," Chloe smiled. "So who is Smallville's most eligible bachelor taking to prom?"

Clark lost his smile. "I was actually thinking of sitting this one out."

"What? Oh, not you too. Wait, let me guess. You spent four years imagining what it would be like, and you just don't think it's gonna live up to your expectations."

"Something like that."

"So you're gonna let me break out of my rut onstage wearing a sash while you're at home playing the 'what-if' game for the nine hundredth time."

"I never said you were in a rut."

"Yeah, but I am. And I'm not alone. You know, Clark, in a couple of weeks, we're gonna graduate from this adolescent fantasy and we're not gonna have a rut to fall back into. The thing about expectations, Clark, is they're supposed to drive you to do more with your life, not stop you from living it. Personally, I think the future holds a lot more promise for you than you give it credit."

Clark raised his eyebrows a little, impressed with her words.

Emmeline smiled. "And that is why everyone voted for you."

* * *

That night, Chloe and Emmeline were working late at the Torch when they ran into Clark.

"Hey, have either of you seen Lana?" he asked urgently.

"The only people here are the school spirit club spreading their 'promaganda'," Chloe answered. "Why?"

"There's something going on. My mom started to act strange. It's like she's channeling some inner teenager, and now Lana's not acting like herself."

"Well, if you think Lana's here decorating for the prom, that definitely falls under altered states."

Suddenly, the lights began to flicker and dim several times. When they came back on, Clark was gone.

"Clark?" Chloe called.

"What the heck is going on?" Emmeline asked.

* * *

Chloe put down the phone in the Torch office and turned to an anxious Lana. "That was Clark. He's at the hospital. Billy's gonna make a full recovery."

"Good," Lana breathed from the couch. "Clark said he saw me come out of that locker room. Do you think I could've done anything when I was blacked out?"

Chloe opened her mouth to answer, but she couldn't think of the words.

"Why would I ever hurt Billy Durden?"

" _You_ wouldn't. But Dawn Stiles would."

"Dawn? The girl most likely to be Prom Queen?"

"People were saying that you were acting freakishly like her, and Clark's mom was acting very Dawn-ish before she came back online at the Talon."

Lana stood up. "That's the last thing I remember before blacking out, talking to Martha Kent in the Talon."

"And Mrs. Kent says the last thing she remembers is driving along route 54. That's where they found Dawn's body at the bottom of Carlton Gorge. The mother lode of all meteor rock."

Lana's eyes widened in understanding.

"They have her in the emergency room. She's in a deep coma."

"So you think that her spirit was somehow able to take over Martha and then transfer into me?"

"Well, we are in Smallville. And I mean, what would the Senior Prom be without a body-snatching Prom Queen?"

"I thought at least once we could just catch a break," Emmeline sighed.

The three of them headed to the hospital to touch base with Clark.

"Lana, are you okay?" Clark asked when he saw them.

"Yeah, I just feel really horrible," she told him. "I have no idea what I did."

"Well, you didn't do anything. You were inhabited by Dawn Stiles."

Lana nodded, but the words didn't change how she felt.

"And the question is, now that we have the old Lana back, where's the new Dawn?" Chloe posed.

One of Dawn's followers, Harmony, quickly walked up to them. "How is she?"

"Well, she's barely hanging on," Clark explained. "She's got massive head injuries. She's severely disfigured."

"Disfigured?" She walked up to the window of Dawn's room. "No, it couldn't be. That face was so perfect."

The four friends looked at one another, confused by the strange wording. Even for a friend, that was going a bit too far.

Harmony disappeared into Dawn's room.

"I'm going to grab something from the vending machine," Chloe announced. "Anybody want anything?"

"I'm good," Lana answered.

"No, thanks," Clark added.

Emmeline smiled a little. "I'll come with you."

The two of them went to the vending machines and just stared at the contents.

"Hopefully, Dawn doesn't completely wreck prom tomorrow," Emmeline said. "But with her out of commission, you're a shoe-in for Prom Queen."

"Oh, boy," Chloe said sarcastically. "Just what I wanted."

"I'm happy for you. I can honestly say I never thought I would get to be friends with the Prom Queen."

"I never thought I'd _be_ the Prom Queen. I never really wanted it either."

"I still think it's cool. You deserve something like this after pushing through these four complicated years at Smallville."

"You deserve it too."

"Thanks, but I could never get up on that stage in front of all those people."

"I bet you could."

"Just thinking about it is enough to make me say no way in heaven."

Their conversation was cut off when the speaker announced, "Code Blue, room 256. Code Blue, room 256."

Chloe and Emmeline rejoined Clark and Lana, and they rushed down the hallway to figure out what was going on.

A nurse with curly red hair approached them. "Excuse me, are you friends of Dawn's?"

"Yes, what happened?" Clark asked.

"There's nothing they can do. I'm afraid she passed on. I'm sure she didn't suffer. I'm sorry."

The nurse left them, and they all quieted.

"So…" Emmeline started to break the silence. "If Dawn's dead, does that mean her spirit is gone too?"

"I don't know," Chloe replied. "And we have no way of knowing unless she makes a sudden reappearance."

* * *

Prom night.

A night every senior at Smallville had been looking forward to for four years.

Chloe and Emmeline were no exception. The girls had spent all day getting ready and going all out on their looks.

Chloe's hair had been completely pinned up and she was wearing a slimming black dress with pink straps.

Emmeline had decided to have her long hair all curled and pinned to the side so it hung over her shoulder and wore a white and light blue dress.

It was decided that Chloe was going to pick Emmeline up and drive the both of them to the school so they could walk in together.

"What do you think?" Emmeline asked her mother as she came down the steps.

Her mother slowly got up from the couch, sicker and paler than ever, and smiled. "You look so beautiful."

"Thank you."

"I'm just sorry you don't have a date to pick you up."

"Chloe's my date."

"You know that's not what I meant. Why didn't you get Clark to go with you?"

"Mom!"

"I'm serious! You two would've been great together."

"He's not even going to the prom."

"Why, because he can't go with Lana?"

"…Maybe."

"That boy is going to have to get over her sooner or later."

Emmeline laughed. "You're so nosy! You shouldn't be so concerned about his love life."

"I am when he should be with you."

"Mom!"

"What?"

The doorbell rang, signaling Chloe had arrived.

"Oh, Chloe's here. I gotta get going."

Audrey hugged her daughter and kissed her cheek. "Have fun tonight."

"I will."

Emmeline left the house, and she and Chloe drove down to the prom.

"Come on, Chloe, you can do this," Chloe whispered to herself as she walked in.

"Yes, you can," Emmeline smiled. "This is going to be a wonderful night. Besides, we look fantastic."

Chloe laughed lightly. "We do."

The two girls walked into the room, searching for anyone they knew. It wasn't too long before they saw Clark.

Chloe eagerly waved to him. "Hey. Haven't I seen you here before?"

"Well, maybe this time we won't have any natural disasters," Clark smiled.

"I'm really surprised that you made it."

"Yeah, well, remember all those regrets we were talking about? I think not seeing you with a crown on your head would be at the top of the list."

Chloe rolled her eyes as Clark smiled at her.

Emmeline internally groaned. The two of them really had chemistry, and she didn't understand why she seemed to be the only one who saw it.

"I'm glad you're here," Chloe said.

"Clark! Clark!"

Chloe and Emmeline furrowed their eyebrows as Lois ran up next to Clark in an extremely bright pink prom dress, something neither of them ever thought they would see in a million years.

"It's called an escort for a reason," Lois said bouncily.

"And you're here. In pink. Why?"

"I came to, uh, cheer you on, of course."

A teacher walked onstage to the microphone. "Excuse me, everybody! Excuse me!" She turned to the band who had stopped playing. "Thanks, guys." She then turned back to the audience. "If I could just get your attention for a moment. Thank you. It is time for the big announcement!"

Chloe sighed heavily. "Okay, if by some weird reason I win, the tiara-burning party is at my house."

"Will you lighten up?" Emmeline laughed. "I want you to win!"

Lois smiled ecstatically. "Let's get closer. Come on."

Chloe, Lois, Clark, and Emmeline weaved their way through the crowd to get closer to the stage.

"You voted and the results are in," the teacher announced. "This year's Smallville High Prom Queen is…" She opened up the envelope and smiled. "Chloe Sullivan!"

Emmeline laughed excitedly as she looked over at Chloe. "You won!" She tightly hugged her best friend, beyond thrilled she had actually been voted Prom Queen.

"Come on up here, Chloe!"

Lois gave her a thin smile. "Congratulations!"

The two girls hugged, and when Chloe broke away, a large smile spread across her face. She practically ran up onto the stage.

Lois looked at Clark pointedly. "What am I doing in a dress, and what am I doing at your prom?"

Clark and Emmeline looked at each other and then up on the stage where Chloe was happily accepting her crown and flowers and practically yanked the scepter away from the teacher who was giving it to her.

"Oh, no," they said together.

"Did you pin that on me?" Lois asked, referring to the corsage on her chest.

"I'll explain later, Lois."

"A little close to the boob, don't you think?"

Chloe went up to the microphone. "Oh, my gosh, you guys, thank you so much! This is so totally awesome! I guess I could say I've looked to the stars and wished for this moment ever since I was a little girl."

Lois looked at her cousin in confusion while Clark and Emmeline shared another look as they listened to the speech that never should've been coming out of Chloe's mouth.

"You can dream of standing here your whole life, but right now, looking down on all of you, I just…This is just so totally genius! Thank you so much! Although, I just have to say…that the person who really deserves this honor is Dawn Stiles."

Several students in the audience laughed, assuming she was joking.

"No, seriously, you guys! Seriously! She gave so much of herself, way more than Chloe Sullivan."

The audience began chanting her name.

Chloe/Dawn wiped away a small tear, clearly hurt by what was happening. "Anyway, I promise this will be one night that I will always remember…and you will never forget."

She quickly darted off the stage and out of the room.

"Okay, Smallville," Lois said icily. "I clicked my heels together three times and nothing happened. Better tell me what's going on."

Emmeline looked at him. "Go fix this."

Clark took off after the heartbroken Dawn.

"What is going on here?" Lois asked.

Emmeline sighed. "You're never going to believe this."

* * *

When Chloe and Clark returned to the gym, Emmeline quickly went over to her best friend.

"It is you, right?" she asked.

"Yep, I'm Dawn-free."

"How?"

"I'm not sure. I got knocked out, so I didn't see what happened, but Clark did it. Like he always does."

"You realize you got possessed twice in one year? First a 17th century witch and then a crazy high school teenager."

"Not just me. Lana too. At least you escaped it."

"Dawn would never want to be me."

"She would be anyone to get what she wanted. It has nothing to do with you."

Lana ended up coming to the prom as well and shared a dance with Clark. They both looked like the prom had fulfilled their expectations after all.

Later into the night, Clark came over to Emmeline who was sitting alone near the wall.

"You okay?" he asked her.

Emmeline smiled sadly. "I'm fine."

"Really?"

She looked down and avoided eye contact with him. "It's just…Pete and I talked about coming to this together. I know it's been a year since he left, but it's times like these when…I really miss him."

"I miss him too. But he wouldn't want you to be by yourself on a night like this."

Clark extended his hand towards her which made Emmeline finally look up.

"Care to dance?"

Emmeline smiled broadly and took his hand. He led her out to the dance floor and put his hands to her waist as she encircled his neck.

Lifehouse started another song on the stage, one perfect for them to dance to.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"You deserve this. You look great, by the way."

"You clean up nice yourself. I'm glad you decided to come."

"Me too."

Clark smiled at her, and she recalled just how much she liked that smile.

The two of them danced together for the entire duration of the song, sharing a comfortable silence.

The same feeling Emmeline had had when they were dealing with the double Lex came back to her. She couldn't describe the feeling and wasn't sure she wanted to. If her feelings for Clark came back, things would get more complicated than they already were.

She chose to ignore the mysterious feeling and simply enjoy the dance she got to have with her best friend.

"Hey, Clark?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget to share a dance with the Prom Queen."

Clark looked over at Chloe. "I won't."

Once the song ended, Clark extended the same invitation to Chloe. She happily agreed, and Emmeline watched as her best friend got to have one of the best nights of her life, dancing in the arms of the boy she cared about more than anything.


	85. Blank

Clark, Chloe, and Emmeline walked into the Talon as Clark explained one of his college options.

"University of Miami?" Chloe said in disbelief.

"Yeah," Clark answered.

"I just don't see you trading in your flannels for flip-flops."

"Well, I figure if you've got a chance to start over, why not start over where there's a beach? I am feeling a bit guilty leaving my parents to run the farm without me."

"Yeah, I guess you would be really hard to replace with all your skills and everything."

"Skills?"

"Um, Lois, hey," Chloe called quickly to her cousin. "Can I get a double cappuccino?"

"Yeah, just a sec," Lois smiled. She went to put money into the register when she paused. "We've just been robbed."

Clark looked towards the swinging door leading to the back room. He quickly followed to track down the thief.

Chloe waited a couple minutes and then discreetly followed after him.

Lois sighed heavily before turning to Emmeline. "Wait, let me see if I remember. Vanilla bean frappe?"

Emmeline gave a small smile. "Yep."

"You okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay."

Chloe rushed back inside the Talon with Clark in tow who looked extremely confused.

"Em, I have to take care of something, so can you give Lois a ride back to the Kent farm? Thanks!"

"Uh, wait, Chloe!"

It was too late. Her best friend was already out the door.

Emmeline sighed. If only she knew that it wasn't the best time…

* * *

When Lois's extremely stressful shift was finished at the Talon, she hitched a ride with Emmeline seeing as Chloe was off doing whatever it was she needed to do with the confused Clark.

When they started to go inside, they saw that the door was sitting in the yard rather than attached to the hinges.

"What happened to the door?" Lois asked incredulously.

"You know, I tried to open it," Clark started, "and then—"

"Yeah, and then some freak wind came and just blew it right off," Chloe quickly finished.

Clark glanced at her for a second, as if she wasn't telling the truth.

Lois didn't believe it, but she didn't really care that much. "Right."

"So, Lois, do you know where the Kents are?"

"They're in Metropolis for Mr. Kent's heart exam. Clark, you know that."

"Well, not so much. He has amnesia, and he's having a hard time—"

"Again?"

"What do you mean 'again'?" Clark asked.

Lois walked up to him, observing him a little. "Well, at least this time you got clothes on."

Emmeline smiled a little to herself.

"Lois, we need to get his parents back home," Chloe told her.

"Well, that's gonna be a little hard. Mr. Kent has a one-way ticket on the Ambien Express. He's gonna be out of commission for a couple of days. So what happened?"

"Well, the last thing I remember, I woke up in the alley," Clark explained. "I was with, uh…"

"Chloe," his friend told him, reminding him of her name. "I'm thinking he caught up to whoever was behind the 'robbery-in-plain-sight' incident."

"And what, we have a thief with memory repo?" Lois asked. "I guess that could explain why in some weird Smallvillian way how I zoned out eight coffee orders before I found the till was empty."

"I'm gonna go to the Torch and see what I can find out about amnesia."

"Yeah, just leave Mr. Memory Reboot to me. I'm getting to be a pro at this." She looked over at Clark. "But you know what? You're gonna have to put up with PB&J because that's the extent of my culinary skills."

Chloe smiled at Clark. "Okay?"

She started to leave, but Clark quickly stopped her. Uh, please tell me I'm not related to her."

"No, I am. You live with her."

"Clark." Lois tossed him a jar of peanut butter for him to open.

Chloe quickly snatched it away from him. "Uh, you know what? I'm gonna take him up to the barn, see if anything up there jogs his memory."

"All right. Suit yourself."

"Em, can you head to the Torch for me and research amnesia?"

"Uh, yeah," Emmeline answered. "Sure thing."

Chloe creased her eyebrows together for a second. She knew Emmeline well enough to know that something was wrong with her best friend.

* * *

The next day at school, Emmeline, Lois, and Chloe rounded the corner and saw Clark talking with Lana.

"How did he get here?" Lois asked.

Chloe looked on at the couple. "Looks like the heart remembers more than the brain."

Emmeline looked over at her friend. It had to be hard for her to watch him fall in love all over again with a girl who wasn't her.

Lana walked away from him, so the three girls started going towards him.

"Come on, cuz," Lois said quietly. "Don't give one more second's thought to those vacant baby blues."

Chloe ignored her and looked at Clark. "Hey, good news. Uh, we traced that day pass we found to Grand View Motor Cross Park. It belongs to a guy named Kevin Grady."

"He lives in Smallville, so we thought we'd go check out the address. Coming?"

The four of them traveled to the Grady residence in order to get some answers.

Clark and Lois went ahead, but Chloe hung back with Emmeline for a second.

"Hey, are you all right?" the blonde asked. "You've been really quiet lately, even for you."

Emmeline sighed. "No. But now isn't the best time to talk about it."

"Tell me later, okay?"

"Fine."

The two of them went up to join Clark and Lois.

"We just want to talk to him," Clark explained.

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Mr. Grady answered. "My son is out of town at the moment."

"And by out of town, I'm guessing you're meaning undergoing some kind of treatment at Summerholt Institute," Chloe said icily. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but notice the parking pass on your windshield."

Mr. Grady frowned. "I believe that's nobody's business but ours. Excuse me."

"Look, we're not saying he did it," Clark said quickly. "We just need to find out what he knows."

The older man turned and looked at them for a moment. "All right. Yes, my son is a patient at Summerholt. Last fall, I took both my boys hunting at Autrey Clearing. There was an accident. Kevin was loading his gun, and, uh, I lost my son, Dylan."

"Mr. Grady, I'm sorry."

"Kevin couldn't live with himself. He was, uh…And I didn't know which way to turn, so I…Well, we thought that if Summerholt could help erase those memories, well, then maybe Kevin could get on with his life. Excuse me. Uh, I need to try and find my son. Thank you."

He returned inside his house and shut the door. Chloe, Clark, and Emmeline all turned to look at Lois.

"Look, it tugs at the heartstrings, but I'm not sure I totally buy it. I'm gonna go have a look around."

Emmeline looked over at Chloe. "I'll go wait in the car, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

* * *

That night, Emmeline walked up the steps to the loft. "Hey, any progress getting your memory back?"

"No," Clark answered. "I'm more confused than ever."

"I can only imagine."

"Do you come up here often?"

"Uh, yeah. Especially this year. Sometimes I come when I need someone to talk to, or when I know you need someone to talk to."

"Does Chloe come up here a lot?"

"Um, I'm not sure. I would think so."

"…Does Lana?"

"You know, I don't really think anyone comes up here as much as I do. Is that bad? Does that say something about me?"

"No. I guess it just means we're close."

"We definitely are that."

Clark looked up at the girl. But not so close that he trusted her enough to tell her about his abilities. How close could they be then?

"Is everything all right?" he asked her.

Emmeline laughed lightly. "Even with amnesia, you can still read me like a book." She slowly took a seat across from him. "During sophomore year, my mom got cancer. It healed, but several months ago, it came back. The doctors gave her about six to nine more months to live."

"That's terrible."

"Yeah…"

"Um, how is she?"

"Uh, you know, I didn't come here to talk about such depressing things. How about I tell you something about us? Maybe it would jog your memory a little."

"I guess it's worth a shot."

"Let me see…well, when we first met, one of your old friends was a bug collector. And I guess they were mutated bugs and they all attacked him, so he ended up taking on the trait of nearly every single insect known to man."

"That's disgusting."

"It was even more disgusting when we found his skin in the shower after he molted. He ended up coming after me because he had some weird bug crush on me and wanted to mate with me. All because I just helped him with a paper. You came and saved me. I was really affected by it though and I had a panic attack a couple weeks later. You and one of our other friends were there to help talk me down."

Clark smiled a little. It sounded like he had a really good relationship with her.

"When you got your dog, Shelby, he was a mutated dog with incredible strength. His previous owners were using him to steal money. I found them and called you and Lois, but they caught me. They would've burned me alive if you hadn't gotten there in time. Some time before that, and I'm still not really sure how this happened, you switched bodies with someone. A really bad person. I was the only one to figure out that you weren't exactly you."

"Why just you?"

"I don't know. But I did. And my personal favorite, me, Chloe, and Lana got possessed by 17th century witches at the beginning of the year."

"Possessed?"

"Yeah, can you believe that?"

"Sort of. I guess a lot of weird stuff happens in this town."

"More than I can even comprehend. I don't remember anything that happened while I was possessed, but you later told me that you called for me, and I snapped out of it. Only for a few seconds."

"What about Lana or Chloe?"

"Nope. I was the only one who came out of it when you called."

Clark couldn't understand why he had never told her his secret. From what she was saying, and he seriously doubted she was lying, they were extremely close. Maybe even closer than Lana or Chloe. Lana did let on the reason they stopped dating was because of him. If they were so close, and they trusted each other as much as she let on, why was she still in the dark about him?

"Hey, Emmeline…"

"Em."

"What?"

"Um, you, Chloe, and Lana call me 'Em'. It's kind of a sign that we're friends. Only people I'm really close to call me Em."

"Em, uh…"

Clark wanted so much to tell her about all of his incredible abilities. But his mind kept going back to what Chloe had told him. If he hadn't told her, then he probably had a good reason for doing so as loathe as he was to admit it. If he ended up getting his memories back soon, he would see how he felt then.

"What is it?" Emmeline asked at the long pause.

"Lex showed me the caves."

"Oh, yeah, you used to spend a lot of time down there after you discovered them."

"What about Lex?"

"I think his father was more obsessed with the caves than he was. Lex tried to figure out some of the drawings in there on his own, but from what I know, nothing came of it."

"He said we studied them together."

Emmeline furrowed her eyebrows. "Clark…you have a lot of secrets. And those caves and their meaning are one of them. You studied the paintings in there for hours, but you never shared what you found with anyone."

"Not even you?"

She smiled a little. "Not even me. And that's okay. I get that you have secrets. Everyone does. Maybe you'll never want to tell me them. But I trust you more than almost anyone. So if you don't want to tell me your secrets, as much as I may want to know, I know you must have a good reason for not telling me."

* * *

Clark quickly entered the Torch office with more questions about his history. "Chloe, I—" He stopped when he saw Lois sitting at Chloe's computer with Emmeline looking over her shoulder. "Lois."

"Clark, you've got to look at this," Lois said urgently. "Chloe called and told me to download some files she e-mailed from Summerholt."

"How'd she get in?"

"I've learned never to underestimate Chloe, especially when it comes to helping you."

Clark came around the other side of Lois as she played a video on the screen.

Kevin looked panicked while tied up to a table. "You don't have to do this! I won't tell anyone, I promise! I won't tell them what happened. I know it was an accident. I know you didn't mean to!"

"Kevin didn't kill his brother," Clark stated.

"Whoever erased Kevin's memories must've planted some new ones," Lois put together.

"How could someone do that? Let Kevin walk around thinking he killed his own brother."

"Someone who obviously can't live with themselves."

"I need to find Kevin."

"And where are you gonna find him?"

"Where his brother died seems like a pretty good place to start."

"Wait a minute. Didn't his dad say that the accident happened at—" The two girls looked up and saw that Clark was gone. "…Autrey Clearing? Clark?"

Emmeline laughed a little. "It's nice to know that even though he has amnesia, some things are just never going to change."

Lois sighed. "Come on, I'm calling the police and then we're going to Summerholt. I think they've gotten Chloe. I haven't been able to reach her since she emailed me these videos."

"Man, I hate that place…"

Lois and Emmeline quickly drove down to the last place Emmeline wanted to be. Whenever Summerholt came into the picture with anything, something bad followed. She couldn't understand how this place hadn't been shut down yet.

Lois stormed up to the front desk. "I need to see a Dr. Grady."

"Just sign in," the receptionist answered shortly.

"I'm not signing anything. Get up off your chair and go get him."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Look, this guy's kid robbed me, then plucked the last forget-me-not petal from my friend's brain. You will let me back there, and you can do it with or without handcuffs."

"Like I said, if you would sign in, I'll let someone know that you're here."

"What part of this isn't getting through to you? The last time I spoke to my cousin, she was here. And I'm sure the psycho is holding her back there somewhere."

Sheriff Adams approached the desk. "Ms. Lane."

Lois reluctantly backed down.

"Maybe they pay you enough to be rude, but I doubt they pay you enough to do time in the county jail."

The receptionist lost her smugness.

Emmeline looked down as she smiled a little. While Sheriff Adams was quite intimidating, it was certainly good to have her on their side.

The three of them rushed back to go find Chloe, but they were not prepared for what they saw.

Two huge pillars had crashed on Clark. But he was holding them up with his two bare hands.

"Wow," Lois exclaimed.

"Dear God in heaven," Sheriff Adams said quietly.

Emmeline put her hand to her mouth. "I knew it…"

Clark pushed the two pillars away and they crashed into the opposite walls. "Lois," he greeted awkwardly. "Sheriff. Em."

Lois's eyes remained wide. "I guess I shouldn't call you Smallville anymore."

Kevin looked at the situation and knew what he had to do. He pointed his hand at Lois, Sheriff Adams, and Emmeline, and a bright green line of light came from his fingers and directed to their foreheads. Then he did the same to Chloe.

They all blinked as the line of light disappeared.

Emmeline looked around her. How exactly had they gotten to this room? Weren't they just talking to that awful receptionist?

"Clark, what are you doing?" Lois snapped. "Are you just gonna stand there all day, or are you gonna untie her?"

Clark, Lois, and Emmeline quickly began untying their blonde friend from the table where Dr. Grady had been trying to wipe her memories.

The police swarmed in and arrested Mr. Grady.

"Why would anyone keep coming here after multiple doctors got arrested…?" Emmeline mumbled to herself.

* * *

"So…full memory recall?" Emmeline asked as she entered the loft once more.

Clark smiled a little. "Yeah."

"Two amnesia occurrences in less than a year. That might be a record."

"Well, I still can't remember anything from the previous day. But better a day than a lifetime, right?"

"Yeah."

"Did anything incredibly interesting happen?"

"Not with us, no. I just recollected a few memorable moments from the past few years."

Clark noticed her usual smile was refusing to appear on her face. "What's wrong?"

Emmeline laughed quietly. "I'm always amazed by how well you read me. Um…I was going to tell you yesterday, but with your memory loss…I didn't want to have to explain it twice."

"Explain what?"

Emmeline took a shaky breath. "My mom's in the hospital."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah. But it's only a matter of time now."

"I can't imagine how hard this must be."

"You know, I've known it for months now, but…now that it's actually happening…I don't know what to do."

"You don't have to."

"My mom is dying, Clark. And they can't save her."

Clark slowly approached her and wrapped his arms around her. He could never imagine going through what she was going through. Just like all the other times she had come to him when she was hurting, he let her cry in his embrace. If he knew one thing, she had to let out all of these emotions or else she was just going to hurt more. He felt a little honored that she always came to him for a shoulder to cry on. He knew how hard it was for her to open up to people, but she always allowed herself to completely open up to him. They shared a tighter bond than even he sometimes realized.

His thoughts went back to what happened in the lab at Summerholt. He couldn't help but wonder…how bad could it really have been for Emmeline to finally discover his secret?


	86. Ageless

"Thanks for the ride," Emmeline said as Clark gave her a ride home in his truck. "I'm sorry I had to pull you away from Lana. I'm sure it was very difficult for you."

Clark gave her a playful glare. "It's fine."

"It's just that Chloe was supposed to pick me up, but she got sidetracked bailing her cousin out of some kind of problem yet again. I'd call Dad, but he's with Mom at the hospital."

"Em, I'm serious, it's perfectly fine. I don't mind giving you a ride."

Emmeline looked ahead of her. "Clark, look out!"

A strange white glow flooded the road. Clark slammed on his brakes before the truck ran into the glow. He threw his arm across the passenger seat to protect Emmeline from the sudden propulsion.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked once the truck has stopped.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Emmeline answered. "What the heck was that?"

"I don't know. I think it came from Evan's field. Stay here, I'm gonna go look."

"Yeah, right. You are not leaving me by myself."

The two of them got out of the truck and went over to the field. There was a huge smoking crater which explained the weird glow in a sense but not why it happened.

"What could've caused this?" Emmeline asked more to herself. "Maybe another meteor?"

"I'm not sure."

The sound of crying suddenly sounded from inside the crater.

"Do you hear that?"

Emmeline tried to look past the smoke. Her stomach flipped when she realized what the cry was coming from.

"Clark, it's a baby!"

She went down into the crater as she quickly whipped off her jacket, ignoring the biting cold of the night. She gently wrapped the baby up in the warm fabric and held it in her arms.

"Who would leave their child out in a cold night like this?" she muttered. "He looks like nothing more than a newborn."

Clark looked at the baby in her arms. If he had been found in crater…it was quite possible that baby wasn't human.

* * *

Emmeline and Clark took the baby to the hospital where they met up with his parents. Sheriff Adams started an investigation to figure out who the baby's parents were and why he had been inside a crater.

Meanwhile, Emmeline sat on one of the hospital room beds with the baby in her arms, gently rocking him and lightly bouncing him up and down with Martha standing next to her. Ever since they had arrived at the hospital, he hadn't stopped crying once.

"Shh, it's okay," she said softly. "It's okay. Shh, shh."

Jonathon and Clark entered the room after speaking with the sheriff. Clark couldn't help but smile a little when he saw how Emmeline interacted with the crying infant. It was pretty cute.

"Hi," Jonathon greeted.

"Hi," Martha smiled. It didn't take much to see she adored the baby already.

Emmeline looked up at them. "He hasn't stopped crying at all. I don't know what else I can do."

"Is he okay?" Clark asked.

"If you can believe it, all this crying is a good sign," Martha told him. "The doctor said he's perfectly healthy."

"Maybe he's just hungry," Emmeline said. "I'll see if we can get some formula for him. Here, Clark, can you hold him?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Don't worry, he won't bite."

"Uh, Em, I don't really—"

Clark nervously took the baby from Emmeline's arms. Almost immediately, he stopped crying.

"Why am I not surprised?" Emmeline smiled. "Even babies love you. Maybe he doesn't need the formula after all."

Clark smiled down at the baby in his arms. He was absolutely adorable. "When does Child Services come and take him?"

"They're not," Martha replied. "They don't have room for him yet, so he's going to stay in the hospital until they do."

"He can't stay in the hospital. I mean, he…maybe he can come stay with us. Until they find room for him."

Emmeline smiled fondly. Clark always took in every stray he found. She wouldn't be surprised if he decided to adopt children in the future.

"Um, I'm gonna go visit my mom while I'm here. You'll be okay with the baby?"

Martha smiled at her. "We'll be fine. Go on ahead."

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow, Clark."

"Tell your mom I said hi."

Emmeline laughed to herself. Her matchmaking mother would eat that up.

* * *

"I found an arrowhead in Evans Field once, but never a baby in a crater," Chloe said in the Torch office as she poured coffee for herself, Lana, and Emmeline.

"No one has any explanation for it," Emmeline told her. "But then there's not an explanation for three-fourths of the things that happen in this town. You should see Clark holding him. It is one of the cutest things I have ever seen in my life."

"Of course he would be good with children. Clark is the true Renaissance man."

Clark quickly entered the Torch office. "Hey, sorry I'm late. I was up all night with the crying machine. Every time I put him down, he starts up again."

Emmeline laughed. "He just loves you so much. I'll come over and help you out with him tonight."

"Well, that would be great. Could you pick up some formula on the way?"

"Sure thing. Anything else you need? Blankets? Diapers?"

Clark released a short breath. "The diapers, pretty good."

Though neither Chloe nor Lana would ever admit it, both of them looked at their interaction with a sense of wishfulness, desiring that they could be the ones discussing baby plans with Clark.

"Okay," Chloe interrupted. "Before you guys start picking out schools for the little tyke, you might want to hear this." She took a seat at her computer. "I had my contact at emergency services run a check of all the 911 calls made around the time that you found the baby. This one kind of stuck out."

She pushed a button and played the recording.

"What's the matter with you people?" a man screamed. "This is an emergency!"

"It's too late!" a woman cried out in agony. "It's too late! It's coming! It's coming!" The woman began screaming in pain.

"She sounds so scared," Lana said quietly.

"No! No, don't leave me, please!"

"Wait, did he—did he just leave her there?"

"If he did, he might still be alive," Clark put in.

"From the sounds of this, the mother wasn't as lucky," Chloe said sadly.

Lana's eyes saddened. "She didn't even get to see her own baby."

"But the baby survived. How is that possible?"

"Can you trace this call back to the cell phone?" Clark asked.

"I can try."

"If this is the father, he might have some answers for us."

* * *

Emmeline walked up to the front door of the Kent farm but paused for a moment when she saw how Clark was handling the poor crying baby.

Clark gently put a warm bottle to his lips. "Here, try this, try this, try this. Try this. Huh? Yeah?"

The baby stopped crying and began drinking from the bottle.

"There you go. There you go."

Emmeline walked inside with a broad smile. "I had no idea you were so good with children."

"Hey, Em," Clark smiled.

"Clark, I could easily get Chelsea to cover for me at the Talon," Martha told her son. "You don't have to stay home."

"That's okay. I want to stay with him. And Em is here to help."

"Okay."

"It kind of changes your perspective when you have someone who depends on you for everything."

"Yeah."

Clark suddenly paused and grimaced. "And I mean everything. Could you hand me a diaper?"

"Oh, sure. Here you go."

Clark put the baby down on the counter and took the diaper Martha was holding out for him.

"Well, listen, you have my number at the Talon and your dad's out in the barn if you need him."

"Okay."

"All right? Have fun."

"Yeah."

Martha left, and Clark began to undo the diaper.

He and Emmeline grimaced when they saw the mess.

"Okay," Clark muttered as he started changing the diaper.

Emmeline couldn't help but laugh at the very uncomfortable look on his face. "I suddenly feel sorry for everything I put my parents through at this age."

"You were adopted as a baby?"

"Yeah. You weren't?"

"No, not until I was three. But they certainly still had a lot of problems of their own to deal with at that age."

"Do you remember your time in the orphanage at all?"

"Not exactly."

"It's probably better that way."

Clark smiled. "You know, this baby stuff is easier than people say. I think I pretty much got it under control."

Before he could even finish the sentence, the baby peed on the counter in one large and high stream.

Emmeline laughed again. "Are you sure?"

"Nice aim, little guy," Clark muttered.

"We should give him a name. He deserves one."

"Well, um, we found him in Evans Field. Why don't we call him Evan?"

Emmeline smiled as Clark picked up the baby. "It's perfect. I think it suits him." She gently played with his tiny hands. He happily smiled up at her. "He's so cute."

Clark's smile faded a little. "You know, Em, maybe we should take a step back."

"What do you mean?"

He went to the living room and put Evan in the crib. "Well, maybe we shouldn't get so attached."

Emmeline sighed. "I know. It's just…taking care of him…takes my mind off what's happening with Mom."

Clark looked at her sadly.

"I know he can't stay with us forever, but what if he doesn't up with a good family? His own father left him out there in the cold."

"Em, we don't know what happened. He could've gone for help. He could be looking for Evan right now."

"You're right. But we have to face the possibility that he isn't. Clark, you and I got adopted by amazing families. We couldn't ask for anyone better. What if that doesn't happen to him? What if they're mean to him? I could never live with myself."

Clark nodded his head. "I couldn't either. We'll try to talk to his father first, and then we'll go from there. I promise, we'll look out for him."

The lights began to flicker above them. Suddenly, to their astonishment, Evan's crib began to glow. The white glow got brighter and brighter until Emmeline had to shield her eyes.

When the glow finally faded, Clark and Emmeline's eyes widened.

Jonathon ran inside the house. "Clark, what—"

He stopped when he saw what they were looking at.

Evan had aged into a seven-year-old boy.

* * *

The next day, Emmeline headed up the loft where Evan sat surrounded by books while Clark discussed what to do with his parents back inside the house.

"'You must be very kind to him, to teach him all he needs to know in Rabbit Land, for he is going to live with us forever and ever'," Evan read from _The Velveteen Rabbit_.

Emmeline smiled a little. "When did you learn how to read?"

"I've been reading all night," Evan smiled. "I've read all of Clark's books, but this is my favorite. I also like the encyclopedia."

"You…you read the encyclopedia?"

"Yeah, but I stopped on 'W'. Windmills. Did you know they were invented in Persia?"

Emmeline raised her eyebrows in equal amazement and disbelief. "Uh, no, I did not. That's really interesting. I'm impressed you read so much in the span of a few hours."

"Is that bad?"

"No! No, it's amazing. It makes you very unique. And you know what? The great thing about reading is that there's always more for you to read. You could spend a whole lifetime reading books, and you wouldn't even make a dent in the amount of books available to you."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm. And a lot of the things you read about, you can see for yourself one day. There are so many places you can visit and things that you can see."

"Even a real windmill?"

"Yes. You know, there's one right here in Smallville that you can actually climb right up to the top. See? You're already close to seeing one thing you've read about. I'm a little afraid of heights so I've never been able to get up to the top myself. But I have a feeling you're a lot braver than I am."

"Can we go? Right now?"

Clark came up the stairs to the loft. "Where are you going?"

Evan excitedly hopped off the couch and jumped up into Clark's arms. "Dad! Mom's taking me to see a real windmill!"

Emmeline looked down at the floor in slight embarrassment at being called the 'Mom' to Clark's 'Dad'.

Clark gently put Evan down on the table in front of the couch. "Um, Evan, listen. We're not your real parents."

Evan looked at him in confusion. "Everyone's supposed to have a mother and father, and they're supposed to love each other very much, just like you and Emmeline."

Emmeline's eyes widened for a second as she nervously cleared her throat. She felt even more embarrassed than before. She and Clark definitely didn't love each other. Currently, they didn't have any feelings further than friendship. She wondered why it seemed to Evan like they did.

She was painfully aware of how difficult this conversation was. Hearing these exact words from her own mother and father had been awful. It was a very bleak moment to know that her own parents had not wanted her. Since it had been a closed adoption, they did not know anything about her birth parents at all.

"You know, Evan, Clark and I? We don't know our real parents either. Both of us were raised by couples who couldn't have children of their own so they raised us. And they love us just as much as if we were their real children."

"If you're not my mom and dad, where are they?"

"We don't know. But we hope to somehow find out. And if we don't, we're going to make sure that you are raised by another family just as wonderful as ours. We'll look after you, okay?"

Clark sighed before smiling a little. "You want to go for a ride in the truck?"

Evan's face lit up. "Are we going to the windmill?"

"Uh, we will. But first, I want to take you to meet a friend of mine."

Clark and Emmeline took Evan to Lex's plant where they hoped Clark's friend could figure out what was happening with Evan.

The poor boy was taken away from them and placed on a table in a lab. One of the lab technicians put electrodes on his body to measure his heartbeat and EKG. Emmeline winced as he put a large needle into his arm and injected some kind of liquid.

"I hope we've done the right thing," Clark said as he and Emmeline watched from the other side of the glass.

The two of them waved to him when he looked over at them and smiled a little.

"I wish I could be in there with him," Emmeline told him. "I would never want to be alone in there with all that strange medical equipment. He would feel a lot better if he just had someone in there to hold his hand."

"I just hope it'll be over soon. Lex has his top scientists trying to figure out what's happening."

Lex started walking down the stairs to join them. "And they've already come up with some intriguing discoveries."

"Like what?" Emmeline asked.

"Tell us what's happening," Clark added.

"Well, the results are only preliminary, but the data indicates that Evan's body is storing energy like a battery charging," Lex explained.

"What do you mean?" Emmeline pressed.

"The theory we're working on is that once enough energy is stored, it's expended to fuel a burst of rapid cell division."

"That's how he was able to go from a baby to a seven-year-old in one day," Clark put together.

Emmeline's brow furrowed in concern. "Is there a way to fix this?"

"My team believes a bone marrow transplant might slow the growth and bring his metabolism back to normal," Lex told her.

"Does it have to be a specific bone marrow?"

"Unfortunately, yes. His genetic makeup is highly unusual. For this to work, we'll need an exact match with a living donor, which means a biological parent."

"Well, we think his mother died when he was born," Clark said. "We're still trying to find his father."

Emmeline took a small breath. "How soon does he need this transplant?"

Before Lex could answer, the lights began to flicker again just like they had last night.

Emmeline looked over at Clark. "It's happening again."

Suddenly, a blast from the laboratory burst the glass and sent the lab technician flying into the wall. Clark quickly blocked Emmeline with his body in an attempt to protect her from any flying shards of glass.

The three of them raced back into the room to find that Evan had once again aged. He was now a teenager.

"Unbelievable," Lex murmured.

Evan looked at his hands in fear. "What's wrong with me?"

Emmeline gently touched his arm. "It's okay."

"Prep the Level 3 facility," Lex ordered. "I want him transferred immediately."

"No," Clark said firmly. "You're not taking him anywhere." He took off his jacket and put it around Evan's shoulders.

"Clark, we need to isolate him while we run more tests."

Evan looked at Emmeline fearfully. "I just want to go home."

"I know," she answered gently. "It's okay."

"We understand you're trying to help, and we appreciate it," Clark told his friend. "He's been through enough. We're taking him home."

Clark and Emmeline helped the boy off the table and they all anxiously left the lab.

* * *

Back in the loft, Clark leant Evan some new clothes for him to wear since his old ones no longer were appropriate for his age.

Evan looked up at the two of them with tears in his eyes. "I'm dying, aren't I?"

Neither Clark nor Emmeline could think of a way to answer him.

"I read the average life span of a man is 74 years. I've aged from a newborn to a teenager in 48 hours. Do the math."

"Evan, we're not gonna give up," Clark said firmly. "Lex has got his team working on a cure right now."

"He's right," Emmeline added with a small smile. "We just need to find your father."

Evan quickly stood up. "Do you really think they're gonna find a cure for me overnight?" He sadly turned away from them. "It's like my life was just some sort of trick that was played on me. All that stuff I read in the books that I thought I was gonna see…I'm not. Am I?"

"Evan, there's always hope. No matter how bleak things might seem at the time, they can always get better. Hope is what keeps you going. It helps you stay strong."

"There's no hope left for me."

"Don't talk like that, all right?" Clark said gently. "We just have to keep trying."

"It's not fair."

Emmeline went to touch his shoulder. "Evan…"

"This whole thing…it's just not fair!"

The boy ran down the steps and out of the loft in frustration.

Emmeline sighed. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Would you go see if he's okay?" Clark told her. "I need to find his father."

"Okay. I'm sure Chloe will be able to help."

"That's where I'm headed."

While Clark went to talk to Chloe, Emmeline ran after Evan. She found him sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Evan, are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"I'm dying. How would you feel?"

"Like how I felt when I was told my mother is dying."

Evan looked up at her in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

Emmeline came around to sit next to him. "My mom was diagnosed with cancer two years ago. We thought she had healed, but it came back. Several months ago, I was told she only had a little less than a year to live."

The young boy looked away from her. "How…how did you manage?"

"It was very difficult. But you know what? I didn't waste any time mourning over something I couldn't change. Instead, you know what I did?"

Evan turned his head to look back at her. "What?"

Emmeline gently put her hand to the side of his head. "I made every moment count."

* * *

Later that day, Emmeline and Evan entered the loft, catching the tail end of Clark's conversation with Jonathon.

"Thanks, Dad, but I think I should tell him."

"Tell him what?" Evan asked, putting together they were talking about him. "Did you find my father?"

Clark and Jonathon awkwardly looked at each other. Emmeline knew that couldn't be a good sign.

"He works downtown," Clark finally said. "At Massey's Auto Garage. His name's Tanner Sutherland."

"When can I see him?"

Jonathon took a small step forward. "Look, Evan, um, sometimes, when you meet your biological father, it can be painful."

"Why? I don't understand."

"Evan, last year, my biological mother came back into my life," Emmeline told him. "It was really hard to see her because I had to face her knowing that she had given me up. And we didn't exactly get along for a while."

"What Em is trying to say is that biological parents don't always live up to your expectations," Clark added.

"But I want to see him," Evan insisted.

"And you will," Emmeline said. "But we need to prepare him for something really big like this. Two weeks ago, he didn't even know he was about to have a son."

"We don't have time!"

"Just calm down, okay?" Clark told him.

"Stop telling me what to do, Clark! You're not my father." Evan took off up the stairs to the loft.

"Evan!"

"Clark," Jonathon said gently, knowing the teenager needed some time alone.

The three of them looked up at the loft sadly, at a loss for what they could do for the boy they had just met.

* * *

Things got worse when Evan disappeared from the loft.

Clark went to Lex searching for the cure to Evan's condition while his parents went out to look for him. Emmeline remained at the farm in case he came back there.

She wished there was something more she could do. She felt awful that this young innocent boy was cursed to die after only three days just because two teenagers were looking for a good time at a silly party. It was ridiculous. And it was the exact same reason she had been given up for adoption at birth. After all these years, why hadn't anything changed?

The phone rang, and Emmeline quickly answered it, hoping that someone had found Evan.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Emmeline, it's Jonathon. Has Evan come back yet?"

"No. I take it then you haven't found him."

"No, but we'll keep looking."

"All right. Call if you find anything."

"We will."

Emmeline hung up the phone anxiously. She turned around and gasped heavily in surprise when none other than Evan stood before her.

Immediately, she knew something was wrong. His face was etched with fear and he was sweating and breathing heavily.

"Evan…what happened to you?" she asked cautiously. "Are you all right?"

"I don't know. I've done something bad."

"What are you talking about?"

He slowly turned away from her. "It was an accident. A mistake."

"Whatever it is, I can't help you unless I know what you did. It'll be okay. Just tell me what happened."

Evan groaned and leaned over in pain.

Emmeline quickly went over to him. "Hey, hey, it's okay. What's wrong?"

"It's happening again. I can feel it."

"Okay, I'm gonna call Clark and let him know what's going on, and we'll figure out how to help you, okay?"

She quickly ran over to the phone and attempted to dial Clark's number. Unfortunately, the phone was dead. She quickly pressed more buttons. Still nothing.

The lights started flickering above her.

"Oh, no…" she muttered.

"It's coming," Evan mustered out. "I can feel it."

Emmeline put her hand to her forehead. "Tell me what I can do for you."

Evan looked up at her after a small pause. "The windmill that you told me about, remember?"

"Yeah."

"I'd like to see it. Just once. Please, Emmeline, hurry."

Emmeline took a deep breath. Then she quickly grabbed his arm. "Okay, let's go."

She quickly drove him out to Chandler's Field where the windmill stood that she had mentioned to him when he was a child.

Her heart hurt as she listened to his pained cries next to her.

"Just hold on," she said softly.

She pulled up next to the field and stopped her car.

"There it is."

Evan's eyes widened a little as he looked up at the large windmill. "Wow…"

"Come on. You can climb it too."

"I thought you were afraid of heights."

"I am. But it won't be so scary if you're up there with me."

The two of them exited the car. Then Emmeline helped him climb up the long ladder all the way up to the top of the windmill and together, they stood on the wooden platform and looked out at the incredible skyline.

Evan let out a small breath in amazement. "The whole world is right there. It's beautiful."

"Very beautiful. I'm glad we were both able to see it. I don't think I ever would've gotten to see this if not for you."

"Thanks for bringing me here."

Evan groaned again and a strange white and green light began to emit from his body. The windmill platform rocked back and forth from the intense energy.

"Evan?!" Emmeline exclaimed.

Clark suddenly came up behind her. "Em, you have to go."

Emmeline looked back at Evan sadly. "But…"

"There's no time. You have to go now."

"Clark…" Evan groaned weakly.

"Go."

Emmeline gently touched Evan's arm and gave him a pained smile. Then she hurried down the ladder. Once on the ground, she ran as fast as she could away from the windmill.

Clark gently helped Evan lie down on the platform. "It's okay. I'm here."

"I'm sorry for what I said," Evan told him.

"It's okay, I know. It's all right."

"I'm glad it was you and Emmeline that found me."

"I think you found us."

Evan's pain intensified. "It's happening! I can feel it. You better go."

"No. Evan, I'm not leaving you."

"I wish you had been my father, Clark."

Clark's heart tore in half at the heartbroken words from the boy. "Evan. Evan."

Evan screamed in pain. Clark watched as his body morphed into a young man's then into an elderly man's in a matter of seconds.

In order to protect the city from the inevitable, Clark covered Evan's body with his own.

All of the energy from Evan's body expelled in one huge blast.

The force of it flung Emmeline forward, sending her landing on the grass in the field.

Once she got back up, she looked behind her at a huge cloud of smoke. Her eyes scanned the area looking for Clark and Evan.

Finally, Clark emerged from the smoke, his clothes singed and full of holes.

"What happened?" Emmeline asked softly.

"I got clear just before…"

"…Evan?"

Clark slowly shook his head. "He's gone."

* * *

Emmeline slowly ascended the steps to the loft. Her heart panged in her chest when she saw Clark packing away some of the toys Evan had played with as a child.

"It's hard to believe he's gone. It almost doesn't feel real."

"I know," Clark answered sadly without looking back at her.

"It's been so hard lately, dealing with everything with Mom. I thought that this was like some kind of sign to me. Like a whole 'one life ends, another begins' deal. But it wasn't like that at all. It was just another painful reminder that nobody lives forever."

"I guess we should make the most of the time we have before it's too late. No one knows that better than you. You've been doing that this whole year with your mom."

"It doesn't make it hurt any less."

"I know."

"I think it hurts so much because…he reminded me so much of Ryan."

Clark smiled fondly. "Yeah. I can see that."

Emmeline looked at _The Velveteen Rabbit_ and gently picked it up. Admittedly, she had never read it prior to meeting Evan. "I found him reading this when he was a child. He said it was his favorite."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"It was my favorite book when I was a kid."

Emmeline smiled. "You guys were more alike than I thought."

"I, um, I used to pretend that I was the rabbit. I was just like him, and my parents had brought me to life with their love."

Emmeline sighed as she put down the book. "I know we're both thinking about it, so I'm just going to say it. What do you think Evan meant when…he said parents are supposed to love each other…like we do?"

Clark nervously cleared his throat. "Evan thought we were his parents at the time. He could see how close we are and naturally assumed we love each other as a mother and father would."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure that's it. After all, I could never compare to your undying love for Lana."

"Em…"

"Clark, it's fine. We're just friends, and we both know it. Extremely close friends, but just friends. I know how much you care about her and how much she cares about you, and I wouldn't want to get in the way of it."

"I do care a lot for her. But I can never really tell how she feels about me."

"She likes you way more than she lets on. The both of you just need to stop being so vague about your feelings and come out and say how you feel about each other."

"It's not that easy."

"Clark, if someone like me can confess to Pete how I felt about him, you and Lana can confess to each other."

"You still miss him, don't you?"

Emmeline nodded. "A lot."

Clark came up to her and hugged her. "I do too."

Emmeline felt tears come to her eyes as she thought about her lost first love, her dying mother, and the boy she had grown attached to who was no longer in the world.


	87. Forever

Emmeline walked into the Torch office on the very last day of school and put her bags down. It was pretty depressing to see the place already rather bare.

"Chloe?" she called.

Chloe was nowhere in sight.

After last night when they had been working late together, Chloe admitted she was going to have to pull one last all-nighter to get the issue completed in time. Emmeline promised to be here early to help her send it out in the morning.

The problem was that the issue wasn't finished nor was Chloe's coffee.

That was weird.

She decided to go pick up her graduation gown, hoping that maybe Chloe had simply left for a moment to go get hers as well.

Once she had received the gown from the woman handing them out, Emmeline looked over the cap and gown inside the plastic wrap. It felt so surreal that her four years in high school had actually come to an end.

It was going to be so hard to start all over at a different school with a bunch of strangers. She didn't know how she was going to survive without Chloe in her classes.

Or Clark, if she was being honest.

Her mother may joke about the two of them getting together, but the truth was that they were almost closer than her and Chloe, and it was going to be difficult without him.

She looked over and saw Clark and Lana with their own gowns.

"Hey, guys," she called as she walked over. "Have either of you seen Chloe? She wasn't in the office when I got in this morning."

"Yeah, they just called her name," Clark told her. "She hasn't picked up her gown yet."

"She hasn't? I thought that was why she wasn't there."

The three of them headed back to the Torch office to see if they could get answers.

"Chloe?" Clark called, stepping inside.

Lana walked over to the wall filled with newspaper clippings and magazine articles. "I don't know if Met U's ready for the Wall of Weird."

Clark looked around the office. "She didn't get the Torch out today."

"Maybe the printers aren't working."

"No, it's not even in its final format. There's no way that Chloe would let the last day of school go by without getting in her final word."

Lana picked up Chloe's unfinished coffee. "And when was the last time that Chloe pulled an all-nighter with a deadline and didn't finish her latte?"

Clark realized her cell phone was on the desk. "Or leave without her lifeline?"

Something was wrong, and Emmeline was afraid to find out what.

"I guess I'll do my best to get this issue out before Chloe freaks out," she told them. "Until then, can you guys try to figure out what happened?"

"I'll go talk to Lois at the Talon," Clark said.

"Great."

Emmeline skipped a couple of her classes as she ran around the office attempting to finish the issue. Since she mainly proofread, she didn't know exactly how Chloe did things but she knew enough after watching and helping her for the past four years.

She turned when she heard footsteps, hoping it was Chloe. It was their photographer instead.

"Um, you're Brendan, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Uh, have you seen Chloe at all? She was supposed to help get this final issue out today."

"I haven't seen her in a while. I came to ask for your help. I took some final pictures and needed some help deciding which ones worked."

"Uh, sure, I guess. Do you have them with you?"

"No, they're still in the photography room. Can you go there instead? I don't want to accidentally mess them up while they're developing."

"Oh, uh, all right."

Emmeline nervously followed Brendan to the photography room. She didn't know what it was about him, but there was something that just rubbed her the wrong way. She felt like he idolized high school a bit more than the normal person would.

"They're just over here," Brendan smiled.

She walked over to his table to look at a pile of pictures. When she looked up, she saw that there were pictures on a screen with Xs over them.

"What is that?"

She felt Brendan's hand on her skin. Her body stiffened before she could scream.

* * *

Emmeline gasped heavily as the wax across her whole body disappeared. She looked over and saw Chloe and ran over to her.

"What…what happened to me?" she gasped.

Chloe's gaze was transfixed on Brendan. She looked over at him and saw a wax figure of Lana sitting on the desk. When Brendan touched her skin, Lana was restored as well with a gasp.

She quickly hopped off the desk and went to the other two girls. "Chloe, what's going on?"

"Chloe, I'm going to let you tell Lana and Emmeline the rules," Brendan said menacingly.

"Okay!" Chloe said with a bright fearful smile. "Great!"

Brendan left the room.

"How did I end up back in school?" Lana asked.

Chloe remained smiling at them. "Okay, don't wig out. We're not in school."

"Why are you acting like this?"

Chloe went close to their ears. "He's watching."

Lana and Emmeline looked up to the corner of the ceiling and saw a video camera watching their every move.

Chloe pulled up the blinds to reveal a set of fluorescent lights that mimicked daylight. "Brendan, A.K.A. Mr. Medusa's touch, recreated this place. It's kind of like a cage. Gives new meaning to the phrase 'capturing the moment', doesn't it?"

"But how…The last thing I remember doing is signing his yearbook."

Chloe picked up her yearbook and opened it up to a specific page. "Lana, will you sign my yearbook?"

"Okay," Lana smiled in order to play along as well.

The page was all of the 'Most Likely To…' people.

"Look at the names," Chloe said quietly. "I seriously doubt it's just a coincidence that the slumber party's guest list is all on the 'Most Likely To…' page. We have been collected."

"But I'm not on this list," Emmeline said. "So why am I here?"

"Brendan told me that it wouldn't be the true high school experience without my best friend. I think he's just starting with this list. Then when it's not enough, he'll add others."

One of their classmates, Haley, walked in with a chipper smile. "Hey, guys!" She smiled at Chloe. "I told Brendan you had a crush on him just like you wanted me to."

"What are you guys talking about?" Lana asked.

Chloe smirked. "Brendan wants high school? We'll give him high school."

"These rules…" Emmeline said shakily. "What did he mean?"

"If you don't play along and pretend you're actually in Smallville High, well…you saw what he can do."

Emmeline nervously bit her bottom lip. _Okay, Clark._ _I'm trusting you to figure out where we are and make another one of your miraculous rescues_.

* * *

Chloe's plan was to create a diversion so Lana could knock him out and they could steal his keys.

Lana and Emmeline watched from down the hall as Brendan entered the fake Torch office. Once he was inside, they discreetly moved towards the office to catch him off-guard.

"Hey!" Chloe greeted. "It's amazing how much material we have for tomorrow's issue already."

"Well, I wanted to make sure you have some great shots to work with," Brendan smiled at her. He took a seat on her desk. "You know, it's funny. Four years in school together, and I had no idea that you and Haley were such good friends."

Chloe feigned embarrassment. "Why? What did she tell you?"

"Nothing I didn't suspect already."

Chloe stood up from her chair and walked over to him. "You know, the more I think about it, the more I can't believe you recreated this whole place for all of us."

"After I got those rejection letters, I realized I spent so much time proving myself in here and none of it mattered on the outside."

"And we'd have to do it all again if we left." She got in close to him as if she was truly interested in him. "So, how'd you do it?"

"I told my dad if he didn't do it, I'd turn my annoying step-monster into his own personal mannequin. You should have seen the look on her face. It was just crazy."

Lana snuck up behind him and whacked him on the back of the head with a desk drawer. Brendan fell to the ground unconscious. Wasting no time, Chloe dug inside his pocket and took out his keys.

"Let's go," she said firmly.

The three of them ran out of the office where Haley was waiting for them. "Please get us out of here!" she begged.

They ran by the frozen statue of another student and towards the exit door. Chloe pressed a security card to the sensor by the door, and it clicked open for them.

The four girls ran through the warehouse in an attempt to leave Brendan's twisted nightmare version of high school.

Lana tripped and Chloe and Emmeline quickly stopped to help her up while Haley charged ahead.

Just as Lana and Chloe got to the end of the stairs that led to the exit doors, they had to stop when they saw Brendan at the top of them. Emmeline had fallen behind and hid behind some of the pipes in the room when she saw why they had stopped. It wouldn't do anyone any good if she revealed herself and got trapped as well. Hopefully, if she remained hidden, she could do something to free them without Brendan knowing.

"I thought you felt the same way I did about our future," Brendan said to the two girls.

"Brendan, you can't keep us here forever," Chloe told him.

"You have to let us go," Lana added.

Brendan glared at them. "I don't think you really want that. I know you'll like it here. Or you'll end up like your friend Haley."

All of their eyes widened in horror when Brendan held up the waxed decapitated head of Haley. He let it crash to the ground and pieces of red wax that were her blood went all over the stairs.

Brendan advanced on the two girls. Emmeline put her hand to her mouth and could only watch as the deranged high school student turned both Chloe and Lana into wax figures. Her heart sank when she saw him lock the door to her escape. She could never get out now without his keys.

She ducked behind the pipes as he carried Chloe away back inside the fake school. He soon returned for Lana.

Once she knew he wouldn't be coming back through the room, she quickly searched for another exit. There wasn't another door in this part of the warehouse. She had no choice but to go back into the fake school and think of some other way to get out.

She came through the door they had all tried to escape from.

As if her luck couldn't get any worse, Brendan was just down the hall with another wax figure and saw her enter through the door.

"So you had been trying to escape as well," he said with an angry smile. "After I even gave you back your best friend and everything."

Emmeline quickly backed away from him as he circled around her and forced her down the other end of the hallway and around the corner. She passed by the Torch office and the newest statue Brendan had created. Her brow furrowed. That was…Lois! If she was here, then…Clark had to be too!

Brendan reached for her and Emmeline instinctively threw her arm up to stop him. He latched onto her wrist and his power took effect. Her body began to stiffen.

Her eyes darted towards the Torch office window. Chloe's wax statue had been placed inside. And that was…Clark!

"Clark!" she screamed.

The wax reached her head and she stilled completely.

Brendan looked at Emmeline's wax figure curiously. She was so sure that Clark was going to save her even against someone like him with his abilities. She must really mean a lot to him. He knew what to do about that.

He lifted the figure up and carried it up the stairwell.

Hearing Emmeline's cry, Clark ran out of the Torch office to find Brendan walking up the stairs with a figure of her. Her face was frozen in fear and her arms were up in a useless defensive position. He placed her right at the top of stairs. One wrong move and Emmeline would tumble down and shatter.

Clark used his speed to face Brendan at the top. "Brendan."

Brendan turned around and headed down the stairs, but Clark once again used his speed to face him in that direction too.

"You have to release everybody."

"I wanted you to be a part of all this, Clark," Brendan said angrily. "But you guys…you guys had no right coming here!"

"You have to let them go. Things change. No matter how much we don't want them to. We can't live in high school forever."

"You don't really want that. Clark…think about it." He went up to Emmeline's statue. "She could stay like this forever. Always be with you. You wouldn't be afraid if she ever left you."

"I'm not afraid of that, Brendan."

"You should be. She'll leave you, Clark. She might never come back. If you really care about her, you'll do anything you can to keep her."

"I care about her, but I would never keep someone from doing what they want to do or going where they want to go. Emmeline has her whole life ahead of her. There is still so much she is capable of. She may have a hard time seeing her potential sometimes, but I know how important she is and how many lives she's going to change. Now let her go!"

Clark started towards Emmeline, but Brendan angrily grabbed his arm to turn him into a statue. However, instead of Clark freezing, the process went back on itself and starting freezing Brendan instead.

"What's happening?" Brendan gasped, looking at his wax hands. "No! It won't stop!" He glared at Clark. "You're going to find out what it's like to lose someone forever."

Brendan kicked Emmeline's figure and it started to topple over.

"No!" Clark yelled.

Using his speed, he ran over to Emmeline and managed to catch her before her figure shattered and killed her.

Brendan's body completely waxed over against the railing. His leg detached from the rest of his body which allowed it to fall the long way down to the floor below. His head crashed into a display case and his entire body shattered upon impact, sending red pieces of wax all over the place.

Clark quickly looked back at Emmeline as the wax began to disappear from her body. Once she had returned to normal, she let out a harsh gasp and started panicking and hyperventilating in his hold. She whimpered as she looked around her, presumably for Brendan.

"Em, Em, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay!" he said quickly to get her to calm down. "It's okay. Just breathe. Breathe."

Emmeline looked up at her savior and realized it was Clark holding her. She put her hand to her mouth as she clutched onto him. He held her tightly as she started sobbing from the intense fear and panic she had experienced in the last several hours but more from the relief that it was finally over and Clark had indeed performed another of his miraculous rescues.

* * *

Emmeline and Chloe slowly took down the last set of articles from the Wall of Weird. With that, the room was now empty. The wall was bare and every single one of Chloe's personal possessions had been moved out.

"This is so bittersweet," Emmeline said sadly. "I can't believe it's really over."

Chloe nodded but stayed silent. She had poured so much of herself into this paper and to say good-bye to it was so much harder than she thought it would be.

She lifted up the box of articles and headed towards the door. She and Emmeline took their jackets off the coatrack. They started to leave, but Chloe took one more look around the room as her hand poised over the light switch. Finally, the room went dark.

She slowly shut the door to the Torch office for the last time.

Emmeline looked at her sadly peeking through the window on the door. "Hey," she said with a small smile. "Next stop is the _Daily Planet_. You won't even remember the _Torch_ then."

"I was just thinking…this is where we first met," Chloe said softly, laughing a little at the memory. "You were so cute. You were so nervous as if I was some kind of monster and stuttered so badly asking me for a job. I never realized that giving you the proofreading position was…the best decision I was ever going to make."

Emmeline smiled at her. "We've made so many memories in this office. And lost so much sleep."

Chloe laughed. "I couldn't have asked for a better person to help me pump the issues out."

"I couldn't have asked for a better best friend."

The two girls smiled at each other as they left Smallville High School. Some students from the upper level were throwing down flyers and posters with happiness that the school year was finally over.

Clark and Lana walked up to them.

"Hey," Chloe smiled.

Clark took the box of articles from her.

"Thank you. So I guess this is it, huh?"

"It's not like we're never going to see each other, right?" Clark said.

"Yeah, you'll have summers and holidays," Lana added.

"I guess, but it's not the same," Emmeline put in. "All of us here together at one school?"

Chloe groaned a little. "This sucks."

"Yeah, big time," Lana answered.

"Suddenly, all those tests and teachers we hated seem a lot less scary than the big question mark that's hanging out there," Clark remarked.

"You'd think after everything that happened with Brendan, it'd be a whole lot easier to say goodbye to all this."

"There's a lot here to say goodbye to."

"You know, not to go all 'psycho-sympathizer' on you guys, but I can't blame Brendan for wanting to keep everybody together," Chloe said. "Although, after that little lock-in, I can't think of anything scarier than being stuck in the past and not moving on."

"Do you guys remember Chrissy?" Emmeline asked. "She used her power to stay in high school for decades. I bet she and Brendan would've been fast friends. I don't understand why they would want to stay in high school. It's been great, but definitely not what I want the rest of my life to be."

Chloe's brow furrowed and she suddenly stepped in front of Lana. "Wait a minute, Lana. Did you say _I'll_ have summers and holidays? What about you?"

"I'm staying in Smallville," Lana told her.

Clark looked at her in surprise. "I thought you said you weren't sure."

"Don't you want to see what else is out there?" Chloe asked.

"Well that's exactly why I went to Paris last year, but there's a reason that I was drawn back home," Lana explained. "I'm just not sure that I've explored all the possibilities here."

Lana and Clark started walking forwards again.

Chloe watched them go. "Maybe things won't change much after all."

Emmeline linked arms with her. "Things are going to change all right. I don't even know what I'm going to do next year without you by my side."

"I'm just a phone call and a three-hour drive away."

"You better come back for more than just summers and holidays."

"I'll do what I can."

"We need to video chat at least once a week."

"Agreed."

Emmeline sighed heavily. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"Yeah. I'm really going to miss you too."

The two of them hurried to catch up with Clark and Lana as they went home to wait for graduation day where they would take the next step into the future.


	88. Commencement

Emmeline looked at herself in the mirror. She had put her graduation cap and gown overtop of the white dress underneath. The red and gold fabric stared back at her, and she realized that this was it. She was graduating from high school this morning.

It seemed so surreal that four years had already passed. She was very proud of the person she had become, and she was thankful that her friends had helped her grow so much since her freshman year when she was a petrified student.

Entering high school, she believed she was doomed to always be quiet and shy and fearful. She never dreamed she would go on to study psychology to talk with other people about their problems. She never dreamed she would have three best friends she felt she could share absolutely anything with. She never dreamed she would get to date someone.

Her father knocked on the doorframe. "You ready?"

Emmeline turned and smiled. "I think so."

"Let's go."

She took off the cap and gown and carefully put them back inside the plastic wrap so it wouldn't get crinkled or messed up during the car ride.

The two of them drove to the hospital.

Emmeline put her cap and gown back on and walked into her mother's hospital room.

Audrey smiled brightly when she saw her daughter. "I can't believe you're graduating today."

Emmeline couldn't help but take note of her sick mother's appearance. She looked so pale and weak. Dark circles were beneath her eyes. Tubes were everywhere connected to various machines.

And yet she still looked beautiful.

"I'm so proud of you," her mother told her. "We both are."

"Thank you," Emmeline smiled back. "I'm really glad you get to come."

"Me too. I would never miss this for the world. You've grown so much the past few years. I'm amazed how far you've come."

"Yeah, you and me both."

Her father took out a camera. "All right, we won't have a lot of time for pictures once we get there, so let's take as many as we can now."

Emmeline stood next to her mother, and they took several pictures together in various poses including normal, silly faces, and two where they kissed the other's cheek.

"All right, we should get going," her father smiled as he lowered the camera. "Let me call a nurse."

He left the room for a moment so they could get some help moving her mother out of the room.

When the nurse on call came in, she helped Audrey change out of her hospital gown and into some loose clothing before hooking her up to the necessary portable machines that could attach to her wheelchair.

"Okay, Mrs. Brooks, you're all set to go," the nurse smiled. "Remember that the doctor only gave you a few hours. As soon as the ceremony is over, you get right back here."

"I know, I know," Audrey smiled. "I'll be good."

"Good. And have fun!" She smiled at Emmeline. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Emmeline said politely.

The family of three drove down to Smallville High and headed to the field where the graduation ceremony would take place.

"Em!"

Emmeline looked over to find a smiling Chloe and Clark walking towards her. "Hey, guys!"

"Can you believe this is really it?"

"No! It's so hard to believe that this is really happening. It's so surreal!"

Emmeline's father smiled. "Hey, girls, get together so I can take a picture."

"Oh, okay!" Chloe answered.

She and Emmeline put their arms around one another and took several pictures together. Emmeline had every intention of framing at least one of them when she got the chance. It would be nice to have in her dorm room next year.

"All right, great. Now let me take one of all three of you!"

Clark stood in the middle between the two girls.

"Okay, now just Emmeline and Clark!"

Emmeline did not miss the look her mother gave her as she and Clark took a picture together.

"Where's Lana?" Emmeline asked Chloe. "We need pictures with her too!"

"I haven't seen her yet. We'll just get some afterward. Come on, we need to get in line."

"All right." She turned back to her parents. "I'll see you in a bit!"

Her mother and father waved as she, Chloe, and Clark bounded off.

The three of them headed to the school entrance where the other seniors had gathered in order to prepare for the entrance once the ceremony started. Since Emmeline's name started with a 'B', she was much further ahead than Clark and Chloe. She wished she didn't have to be separated from them, but it wasn't that big of a deal in the long run.

Emmeline looked over at Clark. "Ready to graduate?"

"I think so," he said nervously. "I'm not sure I'm ready to see this all end and move on to the next step though."

"I know what you mean. We're going to be forced to step outside the box for the first time in four years. But at least you'll still have me next year since we're going to the same school."

"Right."

"Attention, everyone!" one of the teachers announced. "The ceremony is starting, so please get in your proper place in line!"

Emmeline smiled at Clark. "I'll see you after we walk!"

She left his side to go to her place in the front of the line. She still hadn't seen Lana which was strange. She should've been here by now.

The seniors walked outside the school to stand on the bleachers where they would remain until the procession started.

After speeches given by the principal, valedictorian, and salutatorian, the diplomas were finally awarded.

Emmeline slowly went up the three steps to get onto the stage. Though she had previously sworn that she never wanted to get up on a stage for the duration of her life, she realized that it wasn't quite so bad. But then, all she had to do was walk across and shake a hand. It was far less scary than actually speaking.

"Emmeline Brooks!" the announcer called.

Emmeline smiled as she walked to the center of the stage and received her high school diploma. She looked out towards the audience and smiled broadly when she met her parents' very proud eyes. They happily applauded for her.

She turned around to look at Clark and Chloe, and they too smiled back at her. Emmeline returned to the bleachers to join the other seniors who had already walked.

"Hannah Jacobs. Michelle Jewel. Clark Kent."

Emmeline brightly applauded for her friend as he received his diploma.

"Lana Lang."

There was no response, and no one walked across the stage. This couldn't be good.

"Lana Lang."

Emmeline met Chloe's eyes. Both of them knew something had to be wrong for Lana to miss her graduation.

The proud moment abruptly ended for everyone when sirens gradually filled the air. Several army trucks came into view and stopped right beside Smallville High.

"Attention!" one of the soldiers spoke through the truck's speakers. "Remain calm! By order of the Federal Emergency Decree, all non-essential personnel must evacuate the area within a 50-mile radius. In approximately three hours, a meteor shower is predicted to hit Smallville."

Emmeline's heart sank. The last meteor shower nearly destroyed the town, and it had taken months to pull everything back together. People had been killed. And a whole batch of people had become meteor freaks. What would happen to this place with a second one?

Everyone began panicking as they got up from their seats and took off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please, please. Make way to your cars. Please remain calm. There's no need to panic. Please proceed to your home and carry only necessary items."

Clark whipped off his cap and gown and came down from the stage. Chloe and Emmeline quickly joined him.

"Hey, Clark!" Chloe said excitedly. "Can you believe it? Twice in 16 years. I mean, this is crazy! Smallville's gotta have some sort of extraterrestrial bull's eye on it!"

"It's pretty weird, huh?" Clark answered.

"There's gotta be some kind of connection in the cosmos. I mean this is not just a coincidence."

"Yeah, I'm sure there is some sort of explanation."

"Well, there's just something in Smallville that is screaming for celestial attention. I mean, lightning does not strike twice in the same place without some kind of lightning rod, right? I just wonder what that is."

"Um, I'm not sure, but we don't have much time. We need to find Lana."

"You're right, and if anyone can find her with moments to spare, it's you, Clark."

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know, because you have a way of getting things done in half the time a normal person gets anything done."

Clark stopped and turned to look at her. "And I'm not normal?"

"No, of course you are normal, Clark. You're as normal as they come. Now, let's hurry and find Lana."

Lois quickly walked up to them, catching the last part of the conversation. "Look, I'm sure she's already out of town. They've evacuated half of the county. They probably saw her running in late and told her to leave town."

"That's exactly you three need to do, right now," Clark ordered as he put his cap and gown in the back of Chloe's car.

"Thanks for the tip. Now listen to me, Smallville, if there's one thing that the General has taught me is that you cannot panic in times of crisis. Do you hear me? Okay, whatever happens, you have to stay calm. You cannot panic."

"Lois—"

"Because if you lose your cool—"

"Lois!"

"What?"

"You're panicking."

Lois took a deep breath. "Fine."

Lois and Chloe quickly hopped into Lois's car.

"I'm going to go with Mom to the hospital," Emmeline told all of them. "She has to be evacuated in an ambulance. It was already incredibly risky bringing her here. We need to get her back with the proper equipment and medicine."

"Alright, be careful," Chloe said.

"You too. Once this passes, let's all promise to call everyone to confirm we're okay. Agreed?"

"Sure thing."

"Okay. I'll see you soon."

"Go."

Emmeline quickly hurried towards her parents.

"Emmeline, where were you?" her father demanded.

"I'm sorry, I was making sure Clark and Chloe were getting out. Let's get back to the hospital now."

She and her father gently but quickly helped her mother inside the car, medical equipment and all, and drove back to Smallville Medical Center.

"Emmeline, I want you to take the car and pack a bag with as much necessary supplies as you possibly can," her father ordered firmly. "Food, clothing, things like that. We'll find somewhere to stay once we're out of the city. I'll call you if we get an ambulance before you're back. You can meet us."

Emmeline nodded as she took the keys from him. "You two stay safe." She gently hugged her mother and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," Audrey said. "We'll be fine."

Trying to calm her racing heart, Emmeline sped home to gather her family's belongings that would last them until the meteor shower was over.

Her cell phone rang, and she frantically grabbed it, hoping it was her father to tell her that they had gotten into an ambulance. Instead, Lana's name showed up.

"Lana, where have you been?" she quickly asked.

"Em, I don't have much time, but there's something I need to tell you."

"Are you okay? You sound like you're crying."

"Um, I know that sometimes I wasn't such a great friend to you, and I'm so sorry. I just want you to know that no matter what happens to me, you are one of the best friends I have ever had."

"Lana, what are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry, I have to go. Just…don't ever give up on me."

"I won't, but Lana—"

The line went dead before she could ask any more.

There wasn't enough time for her to call back, so she finished packing up the bag and headed back out to the car.

While driving back to the hospital and avoiding the very heavy evacuation traffic, Emmeline called Chloe.

"Hey, did Lana call you sounding really weird and emotional?" she asked.

"Yeah," Chloe answered. "But it ended abruptly, and I know I heard Lex in the background. I'm heading to his mansion now to find her."

"Great. Let me know if you see her. And be careful. There's not much time left."

"Yeah. Same for you."

Once back at the hospital, Emmeline left the bag in the trunk and raced inside.

"Hey, do we have an ambulance yet?" she asked her father.

"No. They've already used what they have for other patients who were already here. We're waiting on some more now."

"We don't have time! We need to get out now! Can't we just take her in the car?"

"You know we can't. She's too weak. She needs the right equipment."

"But it won't matter if we all die because we can't get out in time!"

"Emmeline, calm down. If you start panicking, things will just be worse."

"Dad, now is a perfectly good time to panic! My sick mother can't get out of a condemned town because the hospital isn't providing for her!"

"They're doing the best they can."

Emmeline frantically put her hands to her head.

Suddenly, the ground started to vibrate beneath her. The building began shaking.

"Oh, no," she breathed. "We're too late."

From outside the window, she watched in horror as large meteors began to fall from the sky and crash to the ground with thunderous explosions of light.

People who could ran out of the hospital towards the city limits to escape the meteors.

"Dad, what do we do?!" Emmeline cried.

Her father and mother made eye contact. She had never seen them look so afraid.

A giant meteor crashed straight into the hospital.

Emmeline saw black.


	89. Arrival

**Okay, I've tortured you all long enough with that cliffhanger, so here's the next chapter which officially starts Season 5!**

 **I'm not a HUGE fan of this season and I think it was one of the weaker ones, but that doesn't mean I don't have some plans made for our girl...including one particular moment I know many of you are going to like.**

 **I've had several readers over the course of the story ask me what actress I would have play Emmeline. I'm not very good at choosing actresses for my OCs because when writing, I never have a defined face for them so I can never really choose someone who I can see as the character. But if I had to pick an actress for the character, I think Crystal Reed is closest to who I think Emmeline looks like.**

* * *

Jonathon and Lois quickly escorted an unconscious Martha into the hospital.

Emmeline sat in the waiting room with her head in her hands, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't even process what was happening to her at the moment.

She was completely numb to all of the hustle and bustle around her, taking no notice of all the incoming injured patients and busy nurses trying to take care of them all.

The only thing that brought her out of the prison of her mind was another explosion that struck the already damaged hospital. For a moment, she thought for sure that it was another meteor and briefly wished that it would land on her and kill her.

However, the explosion did not come from a meteor but from two individuals, a man and woman who walked down the hall with extreme confidence.

Jonathon slowly approached them.

"Where is Kal-El?" the strange man asked.

"Who are you?" Jonathon demanded.

"You know where he is," the woman said.

"I'm sorry, lady. I don't know who you're talking about."

The woman looked at him for a moment before grabbing his neck and lifting him up, successfully cutting off his oxygen.

Lois quickly stepped up to the pair. "Okay, everyone needs to calm down and count to ten. Put the nice man down."

The woman looked at her before flinging Jonathon to the other end of the hallway. Emmeline quickly went over to him to ensure he was okay. She helped him sit up, and they both looked back towards the man and woman.

"Look, super freak, you wanna find your Kal-El buddy, you need to start working on your communication skills."

The woman repeated what she had to done to Jonathon and lifted Lois into the air as well.

"I know where Kal-El is."

Emmeline's eyes widened when she saw who had appeared out of nowhere.

It was Lana.

Where had she been all this time?

"He's hiding out at the Luthor mansion. I can take you to him."

The woman dropped Lois who fell to the ground coughing and holding her throat. The man and woman roughly took Lana by the arms and led her out of the hospital.

"Lana!" Lois called hoarsely.

Emmeline and Jonathon quickly got up and went over to her.

"You okay?" Jonathon asked.

"I'll be fine," Lois answered, her voice still scratchy. She looked over at Emmeline. "I should be asking you that. You look like you're falling apart."

Emmeline's eyes began watering again.

* * *

Clark rushed to the hospital to find his mother and father. Lex had told them they were alive and that considering the circumstances, they weren't in bad shape.

At the end of the hall, he saw Lois talking on the phone as she rubbed her neck. When she turned and saw him, a wave of relief washed over her. She quickly came over to him and hugged him. It surprised him a little since she always had a sarcastic comment, but the current situation called for different reactions.

"Clark. You're okay!"

"Yeah, you?" Clark asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Have you seen my parents?"

"They are going to be fine."

"Where are they?" He quickly walked through the halls looking for the room they were in.

"Actually, um, we have another problem. Kind of a big problem really. A happy loving couple came through here with super powers and a really bad attitude. It got pretty ugly."

Clark froze when he saw the gaping hole in the hospital wall. "What'd they want?"

"They were looking for some guy named Kal-El. You ever hear of him?"

This wasn't good. People with powers and icy personalities looking for Kal-El? They must've been Kryptonian. And if his past experiences with Jor-El was anything to go on, they wouldn't hesitate to hurt people to get what they wanted.

He turned to look at Lois. "Where'd they go?"

"Lana came and told them she knew where she could find this guy. She said he was hiding at the Luthor Mansion."

Clark started towards the exit when he realized who was sitting in the waiting room.

He slowly walked over to the girl. "Em?"

Emmeline looked up at the sound of his voice. Tears were caked onto her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and teary indicating she had been crying for a long time.

He knelt down in front of her and looked at her with the concerned gaze she loved so much. "Em, I have something extremely important I have to take care of right now. But once it's over, I promise you that I will come by and we can talk about what's wrong, okay?"

Emmeline nodded her head a little but she didn't say anything. She felt like the strange female had grabbed her throat as well and had cut off all of her ways of speaking.

Clark left and Emmeline resumed the pose she had managed to hold for hours now.

* * *

That night, true to his word, Clark came knocking on Emmeline's door.

When she answered, his heart went out to her. Her eyes were still glassy, and she looked as if she had aged another ten years.

"You look different," she said, surprising him since he had been making similar observations.

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know, you just…do. I can't really say what it is."

If only she knew the reason why he was so different…

Chloe had promised she didn't tell anyone about his secret, but he was sure that it had taken all of her willpower to not tell Emmeline. It took a lot of his willpower too.

"Come in," she said softly.

Clark entered through the door, and she shut it behind him.

Something was definitely wrong. It was too…quiet.

"I'm sorry I had to leave so suddenly at the hospital."

"It's nothing new for you."

"Em, what happened?"

"I…I can't get in contact with Chloe. I don't know where she is or if she's okay."

"Calm down, Chloe's fine."

"You've talked to her? Where is she?"

"She's in a hospital…out of town. But that doesn't explain why you were at Smallville Medical Center all day."

Emmeline took some shaky breaths. She had yet to say the words out loud. Finally, she turned to him and said so softly, he almost didn't hear it, "My mom's dead, Clark."

Clark's eyes widened a little. Now everything made sense. "I thought you guys were going to get an ambulance and get out."

"By the time we got back to the hospital from graduation, all the ambulances were busy transporting other people. While we were waiting for one, the meteors hit…"

* * *

 _Emmeline slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding fiercely. She looked around and saw that the damage to the hospital from the meteor was not nearly as bad as she thought it had been when it hit. The force the of the impact had flung her into the nearby wall which was why she had blacked out._

 _Then everything came back to her._

 _"_ _Mom?!" she called frantically. "Mom, where are you?!"_

 _"_ _Emm…eline…"_

 _Emmeline scanned the place looking for her mother. Finally, she saw her._

 _She had been thrown from her wheelchair and lay weakly on the hard floor._

 _"_ _Mom!" She raced next to her mother and let her head rest in her lap. "Mom, just hold on, please! The nurses will help you!"_

 _"_ _Where's your father?" her mother mustered out._

 _"_ _I…I don't know." Emmeline looked around. "Dad! Dad!"_

 _Her father came to a few feet away from them._

 _"_ _Dad, it's Mom!"_

 _Hearing those words, her father bolted up, forcing all of the pain out of his mind. He went over to them and took his wife's hand in his own._

 _"_ _Come on, Audrey, you keep holding on, okay?"_

 _Audrey smiled weakly. "I've held on for a long time now."_

 _"_ _No, please, Mom…" Emmeline cried._

 _"_ _It's okay, baby. We knew it was just a matter of time. I didn't have much longer left anyway."_

 _"_ _But—"_

 _"_ _It will be okay. I promise. You're a strong, beautiful girl, and you're going to do great things. I won't ever truly leave you. You know that."_

 _"_ _I…I don't know what to do without you."_

 _"_ _You have so many good people who will be there for you. Your father and Chloe and Lana and Lois…and Clark. They'll help you just like I would."_

 _"_ _It's not the same! I need you!"_

 _"_ _I'll always be there for you. Emmeline, adopting you was the best decision your father and I ever made. I wouldn't trade a single day away that I got to spend with you. It may not be by blood, but you are more of a daughter to me than any blood relation could have to say about it."_

 _Tears poured down Emmeline's cheeks. "Don't go…"_

 _Audrey looked over at her husband, tears flowing from both of their eyes as well. "Nate…thank you for marrying me. You are the light of my life and always have been. I love you so much."_

 _Emmeline's father kissed his wife's forehead. "I love you too, sweetheart. Marrying you was the happiest day of my life. I didn't know I could be any happier. Until the day we brought our daughter home."_

 _"_ _Look after our baby."_

 _"_ _I will. I will…"_

 _"_ _I love you both."_

 _Her mother's eyes closed, sending two more tears down her cheeks._

 _Emmeline pulled her lifeless mother close to her, sobbing over her body. Her father wrapped his arms around the both of them as they both mourned their beloved wife and mother._

* * *

"I held her in my arms as she died," Emmeline said quietly. "You can't know what that's like."

Clark could not find words to say to her. He felt like anything he said would be the wrong thing to say. He felt extremely guilty because he knew that he was partly to blame for her mother's death. If he had just done as Jor-El had asked and found all the stones, the meteor shower wouldn't have happened and Emmeline could have at least gotten a few more days with her mother. He had unintentionally robbed her of those precious moments she could have had.

"It doesn't feel like she's really gone. Part of me is just waiting for her to walk through that door again. But the doctor confirmed she was dead before they could treat her. She was too weak to handle the impact of the meteor crash."

Clark wished he could say something to her. But there was nothing he could ever say that would dull the pain of losing a parent.

"She's taken a part of me with her. I miss her already. I miss her!"

Once more, Emmeline burst into tears. Clark may not have had the right words to say to her, but he could do what he did best. He could hold her when she needed someone to lean on. So that's what he did. He wrapped his arms around her and let him cry into his chest.

Clark had been rather excited about losing his powers since he had wanted to be normal ever since he could remember. But this particular feeling of powerlessness was anything but pleasant. Listening to his best friend's sobs fill the now motherless house, he desired to do something…anything…so long as it would make her smile again.


	90. Mortal

During the meteor shower, many meteors had come and all but destroyed the town. So all of the citizens of Smallville came together as one and helped one of the families rebuild the barn they had lost. Living in a small town had its perks. Everyone knew everyone else, and that meant that all those same people would help out however they could. Smallville was almost like one big family.

Currently, they had just finished lifting up the last wall which meant the frame of the barn had been completed. They had worked hard, but there was still a very long way to go.

Emmeline grabbed two cups of water from one of the coolers and walked over to Clark and Chloe.

"Em, are you sure you should be here?" Chloe asked as she received the cup.

Emmeline smiled a little. "Yeah. Being here takes my mind off…"

Her voice trailed off which made her two friends look at her sadly. It had been about three weeks since the meteor shower which meant it had been about three weeks since her mother had died right in front of her. The funeral had only been two days ago.

"Look…" she said softly. "I don't like being in the house. It's empty without her."

"Well, we're glad for your help," Clark smiled. "And just let us know if you need anything."

"Thanks."

Clark walked off to speak with Lana as Lex pulled up in his car.

"There's something different about him," Emmeline remarked.

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know…I can't put my finger on it. He looks tired and how often do we see him tired? He's just…different."

"I think you're looking too much into it."

"Maybe I am."

Chloe bit her lip. She wasn't overthinking anything. Emmeline had always had an eye for noticing things. She was a little surprised that her friend hadn't yet figured out the truth about Clark.

It had taken everything she had to not tell her about what she had seen that night Alicia had taken her to see Clark's abilities for herself. But she just had to trust that Clark would someday tell her. It wasn't her secret to tell.

Clark and Lana headed to the loft to pick up some more nails to finish rebuilding the barn. Emmeline continued to pass out water and do what she could to help the building come along.

"Where is Clark with those nails?" she overheard Martha ask her husband. "He should've been back by now."

"I can go look for him," Emmeline told her. "It will give me something to do."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure I won't be long."

"Okay, thanks, Emmeline."

"No problem."

The girl made the short hike over to the Kent farm. First she checked in the loft.

"Clark?" she called. "Lana?"

No answer.

She moved on to the house. As she went up the steps, a thought hit her. Clark and Lana were alone. In a house. While the entire town was at a barn raising. Two people in love alone…

She grimaced, quickly trying to push all the unwanted mental images out of her mind. She would just make sure to tread carefully. She had no desire to actually see those mental images in real life.

She knocked on the door. "Clark? Lana?"

When she tried the knob, it was unlocked.

"Hello? Anyone here?"

Suddenly, someone with very large muscles grabbed her and slammed the door behind her.

"Wait, you said you wouldn't hurt her!" Clark demanded stepping into view.

"Well, I wasn't…" the man holding her drawled. "But man, she is quite the beauty. You certainly surround yourself with some pretty girls. You shouldn't be keeping them all to yourself, buddy." Emmeline took shaky breaths as the man leaned his head next to hers and nuzzled her. "You could make me one happy man."

"Get away from her!" Clark yelled.

The man roughly pushed her into Clark's direction and he quickly caught her, shielding her from the intruder.

"Boys!" the man yelled.

Two bald and neurotic-looking twins came into view with Lana struggling in their hold.

"Put the girls in the corner. Watch them while I talk to our little friend here."

One of the twins let go of Lana and came towards Emmeline.

"No, no," she cried as she attempted to hang onto Clark.

He would stop them. He wouldn't let them take her. He would do something incredible like he always did.

But he didn't. He didn't do anything. The twin wrenched her from the safety of Clark's arms and pulled her to the corner of the living room on a piece of wood on stacked bricks next to Lana.

The two girls took one another's hands as the twins loomed over them.

"Level 3?" Clark asked the blond man.

Emmeline looked over at them. Level 3? Her freshman year…that man, Earl, had been looking for Level 3. She still wasn't quite sure if the place existed or not. But this man didn't look crazy like Earl. It had to be real…

"So, you've heard of it," the man smirked.

"Yeah, it's supposed to be a top-secret research facility at LuthorCorp. Everybody thinks it's just a myth."

"Yeah, spending a couple of weeks in there can make it pretty real."

"You've been in Level 3?"

"Yeah, I had a real nice stay. Gourmet food, satellite TV, and a nifty little green cocktail shot in my neck three times a day."

"They were experimenting on you?"

"Just trying to amp up what me and the Wonder Twins could already do. It worked. Then one morning, I woke up in Belle Reve. No more satellite TV. No more green cocktails."

"They got you hooked then cut you off."

"Look, we all got a cross to bear, kid, and this is yours. You're gonna break into Level 3, you're gonna get me that serum. Otherwise, you're gonna be playing 'Patty Cake' all by your lonesome."

Emmeline took another shaky breath. How could this happen now?

"What do you need me for?" Clark demanded. "I've seen what you can do. Why not just go in there and get it yourself?"

"They got all kinds of defense systems to keep people like me out, but if the stories I hear at Belle Reve about you are true, then you shouldn't have a problem."

Lana and Emmeline looked at each other in confusion. Clark may somehow do miraculous rescues, but he was still human.

…Wasn't he?

The sound of a truck pulling up into the gravel alerted them that someone else had come to the farm.

The intruder looked out the window towards the driveway. He turned back around with a sick smile. "Looks like we've got ourselves some company." The man started towards the two girls. He yanked Lana up as the two twins grabbed Emmeline. He faced Clark again. "For your own safety, and theirs, I recommend you lose them."

All of them disappeared into another room.

Clark quickly went about picking up wood to make it look like he was working. His parents walked into the room.

"Clark, we sent you out for those nails hours ago," Jonathon said. "What happened?"

"I got side tracked," Clark answered.

"Where's Lana?" Martha asked. "Emmeline also came up here about an hour ago to find you."

"Um, I haven't seen Em. She must've just gone home."

"Maybe."

"And, uh, Lana's not feeling well. She's lying down."

"Why is your shirt on inside out?"

Clark didn't answer. Behind the wall, Emmeline looked over at Lana. Lana smiled sheepishly, embarrassed despite the situation.

Jonathon started towards the next room. "I think I'll go check on Lana myself."

"No!" Clark exclaimed slamming his hand on Jonathon's chest to stop him. He couldn't let them find out what was really happening. "Wait! You guys never believe me! Why are you always all over me? Why can't you just back off for five minutes?"

"Clark Kent!" Martha admonished. "What has gotten into you?"

The blond man revealed himself holding Lana's neck in one hand while the two twins held onto Emmeline. "Yeah, boy! That ain't any way to talk to your mama!"

He tossed Lana over to Clark. The twins kept their hold onto the other petrified girl.

"What's going on here, Clark?" Jonathon asked.

"Pipe down, old man!"

"Listen, fella. I don't think you know who you're talking to—"

He was cut off when the man used his powers of electricity and slammed Jonathon into the opposite wall. Martha and Lana quickly ran over to him.

"Stop!" Clark begged. "Just stop! I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt anyone else."

"Smart move, farm boy," the man smirked. "You got two hours to get back here with the serum or I'm gonna fire me up some family barbeque."

To emphasize his point, a small ball of blue electricity appeared at the tips of his fingers.

Emmeline couldn't understand why this was happening. Normally, Clark could somehow stop these guys without trying. She didn't know how he did it, but he did. Why wasn't he doing that now? What had happened? Were these meteor freaks too different from the others and that's why he couldn't stop them?

She just wanted this to be over.

She wanted to go home.

* * *

Lana, Emmeline, Jonathon, and Martha sat in the dining room as the seconds passed by while they waited to see what Clark would do.

Emmeline was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. For the past several weeks, she had shoved down all of the emotions she had over losing her mother. In the face of death, those emotions and then some were quickly returning all at once.

The sound of a siren rang outside.

The blond man went to the window. "Looks like the kid done went and called the law on us. I guess he doesn't love you very much."

"Clark wouldn't go to the police," Martha said.

"I'm sure it's just routine," Jonathon added.

The man smirked again. "Yeah, well, too bad for her then."

"Wait!" Lana said quickly. "We'll get rid of her. Just don't freak out."

"Baby, you'll know when I freak out." He grabbed Martha by the back of the neck. "Look, get rid of the sheriff or your wife is toast." He looked over at Emmeline. "Boys, grab her too. She couldn't act normal if her life depended on it. Which funny enough, it does."

Once more, the twins grabbed Emmeline as she whimpered.

"Martha!" Jonathon said quickly.

"Em," Lana said at the same time.

The blond man sighed with annoyance. He whipped a pocketknife out of his jean pocket.

Emmeline cried out at the sight of it, sure he was going to kill her off now because she couldn't keep their cover.

"Shut up!" the man barked.

Emmeline flinched. She watched as the man grabbed her shirt and cut off a small strip at the bottom of it. He tossed the strip to the twins and pushed all of them into the next room over to hide from Sheriff Adams.

One of the twins slipped the strip of her shirt in between her teeth to gag her. The blond held Martha close to him, daring her to make a sound.

There was a loud knock on the door.

"Just a second!" Jonathon called. After confirming everyone was out of sight, he opened the door. "Sheriff."

Sheriff Adams stepped inside. "I'm sorry to trouble you folks, but three real mean cusses busted out of Belle Reve last night. Put about half a dozen guards in the hospital, and we found the car they stole a mile up the road."

"We'll keep our eyes open."

"Well, you be sure and do that. Where's the missus?"

"She's still at the barn raising," Lana quickly answered.

"Oh, I was just there. I didn't see her. Well, make sure she knows what's going on when she turns up."

"Sure will, thank you," Jonathon said.

"Wait a minute."

Everyone in the house froze. Had she discovered them? Was this the end of the line?

"Is that coffee I smell?"

Tears began to run down Emmeline's cheeks once more from the intense fear she felt in the grip of the two psycho twins.

She couldn't take much more of this.

While the sheriff slowly sipped her coffee to the point where everyone felt as if they were going to explode from the tension, the blond man grabbed some yellow rope off the shelf and tied Emmeline and Martha's hands together. Then he slipped his hand over Martha's mouth to ensure she didn't make a sound.

"Good coffee, Mr. Kent," Sheriff Adams said.

"Thank you, Sheriff," Jonathon answered. "Um, would you mind if I finish the rest of my chores while there's still some daylight out there?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, I should get going, myself. Thanks for the coffee." After a short pause, she asked, "Wouldn't think a man with your heart condition would take to smoking, Mr. Kent."

"Those are mine, Sheriff," Lana interjected quickly. "I started after the meteor shower. Nerves."

"Nasty habit, Miss Lang. You better quit before they kill you. Thanks again for the hospitality. I'll let myself out."

Emmeline breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed.

The blond man threw Martha into the wall and went out onto the porch.

"Oh, Sheriff!" he sang tauntingly.

Sheriff Adams started to draw her gun, but the man shot a bolt of electricity towards her, sending her flying over her car.

Jonathon flew out onto the porch and tackled the man down the steps and onto the grass.

"Mr. Kent!" Lana called in alarm.

When Jonathon turned his head, the blond man punched him in the face.

One of the twins released Emmeline and went after Lana. The other twin kept a tight hold on her.

Lana backed the twin grabbing her from behind into the wall. She leaned over and grabbed a nail gun on the stool. The twin attempted to grab the gun from her, but Lana used that opportunity shoot the gun and nail his hand to the wall.

Emmeline firmly stomped on the foot of the twin holding her. Then she turned and hit him with her tied hands. She quickly took the gag out of her mouth.

The other twin wrenched his hand off the wall, the nail deeply embedded into it.

The twin with the bruise on his face looked at his brother. "That really—"

"—hurt!" the other one finished.

"Get the field up!" the blond from outside called.

The twin took the bloodied nail out of his hand.

Emmeline put her tied hands around the twin she had attacked earlier, effectively choking him. He elbowed her in the stomach. She coughed roughly, but her hands didn't move from their position. The other twin lifted her hands from his brother's neck and hit her in the face.

Lana came over to her and quickly untied her hands.

The two brothers put their hands together and energy emitted from them which created a large force field around the entire house.

The man ran back inside with Jonathon in hold. He threw him down on the floor next to Lana and Emmeline. Then he looked out the window at the many police cars that had arrived and slammed his hands down on the shelf in frustration. "Well, ain't this a right pickle?"

While the twins continued to hold up the force field, the man pushed the four of them onto chairs and the wood in the living room. Then he tied all of their wrists and feet together. Luckily for Emmeline, he didn't gag her again.

"We cannot—" one twin started.

"—maintain the field."

"You know, the whole finishing each other's sentences is really starting to grate on me!" the man growled.

"We need the serum!"

"You ain't the only ones, Heckle and Jeckle! You keep that field up! We're almost home!"

"Perhaps we should—"

"—cut our losses."

"No! We're gonna stick to the plan and wait for the Kent boy to get back. So, you two just shut up and concentrate."

"Is it just me or are they starting to look desperate?" Martha asked quietly.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Kent," Lana said softly. "Clark will figure out a way to get us out of this. He always does."

That's Emmeline had always thought. But he didn't save her earlier. He let that man take her from the safety of his arms and into the arms of the psychotic twins. What could he possibly do about this now when he hadn't even been able to save her then?

The blond angrily dialed his phone. "Time's up, bright boy. Where's my stuff?"

Clark said something on the other end, but no one could hear what he said.

"You better be." He slammed the phone shut. "He's got a couple of minutes. Then I start killing me some people. Starting with you, Mom."

Several agonizing minutes later, the blond's cell phone rang. He quickly went towards the window. "Right. Nice and easy, kid. I'm feeling kinda twitchy. Get the force field down!"

"He did it," Lana smiled.

"Shut up! He ain't done anything yet." He resumed looking out the window. "Alright, get the field back up. Get it up!"

Clark quickly came through the door.

"I was starting to think you forgot about us."

"Don't worry," Clark assured to the four tied up. "Everything's going to be okay."

The blond grabbed the case Clark was holding. "Ain't nothing okay till I say so!"

"They really did a job on you at LuthorCorp, didn't they?"

"Look, they made me more than I was. I didn't ask for it. The power grows on me really fast. I guess some of the talk is true about you, kid. You really are out of this world."

"You have no idea."

When the blond opened the case, a flash grenade went off that blinded him with the light and resulting smoke.

"You little son of a—"

The blond started to shoot a beam of electricity at Clark, but he ducked out of the way just in time which allowed the beam to hit the twins instead. The twins flew apart, breaking the force field.

Clark grabbed a mallet off the floor. The blond tried to shoot him again, but Clark slammed the mallet into the breaker box which cut off all the power in the house.

With no electricity to draw from, the man was rendered powerless. He tried to punch Clark, but Clark blocked his arm and punched him hard in the face himself.

"Sometimes it's easier to just turn the power off."

The police swarmed inside now that the force field was down and put special handcuffs on all of the criminals.

Clark quickly helped untie everyone from their bonds. He and Lana tightly hugged one another.

"Are you okay, Em?" he asked the girl.

She nodded a little, the shock not worn off yet.

"Get him outta here!" Sheriff Adams ordered to the deputy handcuffing the blond. As he was led out, the man stopped and glared at Clark who had his arm protectively around Lana's shoulders. "Keep moving, Sparky."

"That guy has some serious issues," Lana remarked.

"Let's hope Belle Reve can hold him this time," Clark said.

"Or you could always knock his lights out again."

Sheriff Adams turned to face him. "Or call the authorities before you hatch another hair-brained rescue scheme."

"Sorry, Sheriff," Clark apologized sheepishly.

"That aside, nice work, Mr. Kent. You ever consider a career in law enforcement?"

"She's right, Clark," Lana smiled. "What you did was amazing."

At that moment, Chloe walked inside. "Hi."

"Hey," Clark greeted. "Can you guys give us a second?"

While Clark went to speak with Chloe, Lana turned to face Emmeline. "Are you sure you're okay, Em?"

Emmeline still looked like she was about to burst into tears at any second.

"It's fine now. Those men are going back to Belle Reve and they're going to make sure they can't get out again."

"Yeah…"

Chloe came over to Emmeline and tightly hugged her. "Are you okay? I can't imagine how it must've been to be trapped in here."

"I'll be okay. I'm just…I'm going to go home."

"Want me to come with you?"

Emmeline shook her head and quickly exited the house.

"Em?" Clark called when he saw her hasty departure.

She didn't answer him.

* * *

Some hours later, the doorbell rang at Emmeline's house. When she answered it, she saw Clark standing there.

"I wanted to make sure you were all right," he said gently. "I know today was pretty…stressful."

Emmeline didn't answer once again.

"Em…?"

Her eyes started to water. "I can't…do this anymore," she said softly.

"What do you mean?"

She took another shaky breath. "These past few years…I have so enjoyed being your friend. I loved having someone to go to when I was hurting and know that there was someone I could be there for as well. I loved giving advice because I knew how much you really took it seriously. I loved how much you trusted me."

Clark didn't know where this was going, but he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it. Especially once the tears started to fall from her eyes.

"But trouble follows you. I don't know what it is about you, but…I keep getting caught in the middle of things. Like I did today. I always trusted you to save me. And I know that you did again. But I can't keep doing this. I can't keep fearing for my life just because I'm close to you."

"Em, that was all in the past. It won't happen again."

"You don't know that. You can't predict the future. I'm sorry, Clark. But…I can't…be around you anymore."

Clark was speechless.

Emmeline closed the door, leaving him standing awestruck on the porch. She sank against the door as she quietly sobbed.


	91. Hidden

**Hoo-boy, this one was a tearjerker.**

* * *

Emmeline went inside the Talon to find Chloe. The plan was to meet up there so that they could head over to Chloe's house for one last girls' night before she headed off to Metropolis U.

"Hey, Chloe!" she called when she saw her best friend.

Her smile disappeared when she saw that Clark was with her.

Awkward silence stretched between the three of them for several very tense seconds.

"Um…I'll just wait outside for you," Emmeline said softly.

"Uh, okay, I'll be right there," Chloe answered.

Emmeline gave one last glance towards Clark before heading back out of the building.

"Wow," the blonde remarked turning to face her tall friend. "That was painful. Now I know how it was for her all these years when the two of us were fighting."

Clark looked off in the direction Emmeline had gone. It had been a couple weeks since the sudden declaration that broke off their friendship. And a very long two weeks at that. Smallville was not a huge place so they bumped into each other pretty often. And those moments were always awkward with only glances and no words exchanged.

"She told me what happened. I doubt it will last though."

"Yeah, but Chloe…did you ever think that maybe she has a point?"

"Clark—"

"No, really. There's been several times that she, and even you and Lana, have gotten caught up in something just because of me and who I am. In fact, none of this would've happened if I hadn't come here and brought all the kryptonite with me in the first place."

"Clark, the exact same thing happened between you and Lana two years ago and look where you guys are now. She's hurting. Just give her some time. Things will work out."

"I don't know. You didn't see her when she told me she couldn't be around me. I've never seen her like that before."

"Look, take it from someone who's lost her mom too, her emotions are all over the place. When everything happened with those psycho criminals, it just pushed her way too far over the edge. Once everything is semi under control again, she'll realize that pushing away the people she's closest to isn't going to help anything."

"I didn't really realize how much I liked having her as a friend until she dropped that bomb on me."

Chloe smiled. "That's usually how it goes. Just let her heal in her own way for now." She grabbed her bag off the counter. "I better not keep her waiting. See you later."

"Yeah, bye, Chloe."

Clark let out a long breath of air. He just hoped he got Emmeline back as a friend sooner rather than later.

Once Chloe and Emmeline reached Chloe's house, Chloe retrieved a pint of ice cream from the freezer and then crashed on the couch next to her best friend.

"So let's talk about this whole thing with Clark, shall we?"

Emmeline groaned. "Chloe, we've been over this."

"Yeah, well, we're going over it again. I mean, there have been a couple times when you got caught up in something because of me. Like the whole thing with Brendan? You wouldn't have gotten added to his collection if you weren't my friend. Or that whole killer email thing where you got whacked on the head by one of the recipients. That wouldn't have happened if you weren't with me. So why are you still talking with me?"

Emmeline sighed but didn't answer.

"I think it's because you know that everything that happens really isn't Clark's fault."

"I just…can't worry about getting hurt every time I'm with him."

"That's an irrational fear and we both know it. The things that happen to both of us are because we live in Smallville which is home to all things weird and crazy."

"Maybe Hannah had a point about me moving to New York with her."

"You living in the Big Apple? I don't think so. Em, I know how much you care about Clark, and I may not know exactly how you're feeling, but I do know what it's like to lose your mom."

"But your mom is still alive."

"True, but I haven't spoken to her since she left when I was twelve."

Emmeline quieted. Her mother may as well have been dead since Chloe had basically no hope of contacting her again.

"The pain will dull considerably, but I don't think it ever really goes away. But, Em…pushing away the people who care about you the most is a surefire way to make sure that the pain never stops. And think about all of the great times you've had with Clark over the past four years. Do you really want to sacrifice all of the great times you could have in the future just because of a few possible bad moments?"

"I'm just…scared, Chloe."

Chloe put her hand on her arm. "I know. Just don't let your fear cancel out all of the good too."

* * *

Chloe and Emmeline exited out the back of the Talon with the last of Chloe's possessions. Her car was filled to the brim with stuff for her dorm room and Emmeline wondered how she was going to make sure nothing fell out on the way there.

"Thanks for the help, Em," Chloe smiled. "I know it's super early."

"Are you kidding? I couldn't let you head off to Met U without one more send-off from me."

Her blonde friend laughed as her phone rang. She quickly took it out and answered it. "Hey, Gabriel. I'm surprised MIT even lets you converse with us pedestrian Met-Uers so early."

If it was the same Gabriel Emmeline was thinking of, she remembered him as a fellow staff member at the Torch who occasionally wrote stories for them. She had proofread them, but never really spoke to him at all. Their paths had really just never ended up crossing.

"I've been trying since yesterday," Chloe continued into the phone. "I had no idea 'just the necessities' would take so long to pack…I know it sucks to say goodbye. But if Smallville managed without their cyberwizard, I'm sure they'll survive without their star reporter." Chloe's brow furrowed as she listened to the other end. "Gabriel, what are you talking about?"

Emmeline looked at her friend questioningly.

"What happens in an hour?"

Gabriel explained something on the other end before Chloe fearfully shut her phone.

"What is it?" Emmeline asked.

Chloe scoffed. "Looks like I'm not leaving just yet. That was Gabriel who used to work at the Torch with us. I don't know what's going on exactly, but he's saying that in an hour, Smallville's going to be gone. I'm going to go talk to Clark so we can figure out what he means and stop him from doing something stupid."

"Okay, keep me updated. And let me know if I need to get out of town."

"Don't worry. Clark and I can fix this."

Emmeline nodded. She hoped Chloe was right or their town might get destroyed.

* * *

Emmeline's heart was in her throat. All of the worst-case scenarios ran through her mind over and over again and she feared that she would be too late.

Clark had been shot.

She didn't understand how this could happen. Not to him. Anyone but him.

She ran through the hospital doors into the waiting area.

"Mrs. Kent!" she called when she saw Jonathon and Martha. "I heard what happened. Is…is he okay?"

"Um, they just finished operating on him," Martha answered. "They're waiting for him to stabilize before we know anything concrete."

Emmeline ran her hand through her hair. "I'm gonna…get a cup of coffee."

"Okay, we'll let you know if we hear something."

Emmeline went in the direction of the coffee machine, but instead of getting a drink, she went to the room Clark had been put in. Taking a quick look around to make sure no one was looking, she stepped inside and shut the door behind her.

She felt sick at the sight of her best friend lying unconscious on a gurney. She slowly approached his side before sitting in the chair next to the gurney and putting her hand on his.

"I never thought I would be in this situation," she said softly. "You always seemed invincible." Tears filled her eyes and sank down her cheeks. "Oh, Clark…I'm so sorry. But you can't leave me. Not now. Please. I…I need you. I can't lose my mom and you. I just can't. I should never have pushed you away. The truth is I don't think I could ever live without you. You're always there for me when I need someone the most. So, please…you have to pull through this. For all of us. For me."

The door opened behind her, and Emmeline whipped around, afraid that she had been caught.

But instead of a doctor or a nurse, it was Lana.

Emmeline wiped some of her tears away, but they were just replaced by more. She looked back at Clark's still form. "The last thing I said to him was that I couldn't be around him anymore." She turned back to look at Lana. "What if that's the last thing I ever say to him?"

Lana looked at her sadly.

Emmeline got up from the chair so that Lana could speak to her boyfriend.

Lana put her hand to Clark's head and gently rubbed her hand through his hair. "I don't even know if you can hear me, but I need you to know that from the first moment that I saw you, I knew that no one could make me happier than you. But I also knew that you'd never change. You'd-You'd always be running around, trying to save the day. All those times I pulled away…it's because I knew this day would come."

Clark moved his head and opened his eyes a little.

Emmeline gasped quietly as she rushed next to Lana. "Clark?"

Clark smiled at them. Then his eyes closed once again.

To their horror, the EKG began beeping rapidly and the number plummeted to zero. The line went red and flat.

"No," Emmeline gasped, all available air leaving her lungs. "No. No!"

Nurses and doctors rushed into the room.

"You're not supposed to be in here," one of the nurses said sternly. "Please, you need to clear the room."

She roughly took hold of the two girls' arms and pushed them out into the hallway.

Lana and Emmeline grabbed hands as they watched the horrific scene before them. The doctor grabbed some defibrillator paddles while one of the other nurses administered oxygen.

Emmeline flinched as the paddles touched Clark's bare chest and caused his body to convulse once.

"Please," she whispered. "No…"

The doctor upped the charge once, and then twice, and then again.

Nothing.

"Okay, I'm calling it," the doctor stated. "Time of death, 7:18 AM."

"NO!" Emmeline screamed. "No! No!"

Lana took a firm hold of her as she sank a little as her legs were unable to find the strength to keep standing.

They both rushed into the room to Clark's body. Lana put her hand to his forehead while Emmeline took hold of his hand.

"Please…no!" Emmeline sobbed.

The nurses once again escorted them from the room, but much gentler this time as they understood that they had both just lost someone very dear to them.

They walked down the hall back towards the waiting room. Emmeline grabbed onto Lana and sobbed her heart out. Lana tightly held her, crying just as much.

The whole moment felt so surreal. Clark Kent could not be dead. It just didn't make sense. After all they had been through for the past several years, how could it have just ended like this?

Emmeline felt like her heart had completely shattered. How could she lose the two people she loved most in the world so close together like this? How was she ever going to recover from the pain?

The doctor followed them out and approached Jonathon and Martha. "Mr. and Mrs. Kent, we did everything we could."

"No," Martha cried.

"But we lost him."

No sooner had those words left the doctor's lips when a nurse ran out to the waiting room. "Doctor, we have a problem with the Kent boy."

Jonathon, Martha, Emmeline, and Lana hurried back towards Clark's room.

Clark's body was gone.

* * *

Chloe had called earlier explaining that the missile Gabriel had set to destroy the town had successfully been stopped so they were all safe.

While Emmeline received the news gratefully albeit numbly, she almost wished that the missile had actually hit so that all of this horrible pain would be over.

When the doorbell rang at her house, she almost didn't have the motivation to answer it.

But she forced herself up and slowly opened the door.

And her heart nearly stopped.

"Clark?" she whispered.

Clark smiled a little.

"Is that really you?"

He nodded.

She rushed forward and threw her arms around his neck as she began to cry again. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry…"

Clark gently hugged her back. "I know."

Emmeline did not release him for a long time. She was afraid that if she did, reality would hit and he would die all over again.

While Clark was frustrated that his powers were back and he was no longer human, as he held his crying best friend in his arms, he had to admit that it was really nice to have Emmeline back in his life.


	92. Aqua

***awkward laugh* I sincerely apologize for making everyone wait so long for this new chapter. I was really preoccupied with other stuff, and sometimes when I hit an episode where there's not a whole lot for Emmeline to do, I lack the motivation and inspiration to start. But here we are, and this actually turned out way better than I thought it was going to, or at least I think so.**

 **I'll try to update more frequently!**

* * *

On the very last day of summer vacation, Chloe and Lois grabbed Emmeline and headed to Crater Lake. It appeared everyone else in Smallville had the same idea because the place was packed.

The three of them walked along the sand just in time to see Clark and Lana sharing another smooch. Emmeline was happy they seemed to be getting along so well, but she would be lying if she said that she didn't get annoyed with their constant lovey-doveyness _just_ a couple times.

"Well, I know what you did this summer," Lois teased.

"Lois?" Clark said as he quickly stood up.

"Don't look so guilty, Smallville. About time you lovebirds flapped your wings."

"What _are_ you doing back?"

"Yeah, we thought you were in Europe until the end of the year," Lana smiled.

"Hoping."

Emmeline smiled a little. She had certainly missed Clark and Lois's infamous banter.

"Well, are you gonna stay with Chloe?" Lana asked.

"Actually, I just ran into Mrs. Kent at the Talon, and right out of nowhere, she asked if I'd like to move back in at the farm," Lois answered.

Clark scoffed. "Yeah, right."

Lois just smiled back at him.

"Really?"

"I know, isn't that sweet?"

Clark and Lana exchanged a nervous look which made Emmeline's face redden at the implication.

"Oh, don't worry, you little snuggle bunnies can hop around all you want. I'm a heavy sleeper." She happily handed her bag to Chloe and walked off. "I'm going for a dip."

Clark looked at the other girls dryly. "Think she could sleep through me smothering her with a pillow?"

Lana laughed. "Don't you stay in the sun too long or you're gonna get fried." She headed off to another part of the park.

"How's the battle scar?" Emmeline asked, pointing to the bandage on his stomach. His…very, very toned stomach.

Clark looked up at her for a moment. "It's…healing."

Emmeline really didn't understand how exactly Clark had miraculously come back to life, especially after his disappearance from the hospital, but she had been too relieved at the moment to care. However, for the past several days, it had really been nagging at her mind. But how did one casually bring something like that up in to conversation? 'Oh, by the way, remember that time you died than came back to life? Yeah, what's that about?'

…No.

"Uh…I'll set us up a spot," she said quietly.

She took the two bags from Chloe and left the two of them alone so she could find an open place for them to lay out some towels.

Truth be told, Emmeline didn't exactly want to be here. She hated being in this kind of place. She didn't consider herself fat or anything, but she was not very comfortable exposing so much skin. Wearing her rather plain one-piece beneath her t-shirt didn't help matters.

Her attention to her usual lack of self-esteem was broken when she saw Clark run across the dock and dive into the water.

"Em, grab a towel!" Chloe ordered.

Emmeline fished through Chloe's bag and pulled out the towel she had brought. As soon as she came over, a man carrying an unconscious Lois rushed onto the sand.

"Is she all right?" Lana asked quickly.

"I'm working on it," the man answered.

He gently set Lois down on the sand with her head positioned on the towel Emmeline had brought over. He then quickly began to administer CPR. After giving her a few breaths, Lois coughed out some water and looked up at her savior.

"Hey," the man smiled kindly.

Lois smiled awkwardly in embarrassment, and Emmeline did not miss how her eyes gazed over his toned chest and stomach.

All of them carefully helped Lois stand again as she put her hand to her head.

"Maybe you ought to stick to the shallow end till you learn to swim, gorgeous," the man teased.

"Maybe you ought to try a breath mint, surfer boy," Lois tiredly shot back.

The man laughed. "Name's Arthur Curry. My friends call me AC."

Lana took Lois's arm. "Come on, we gotta get you back to the farm."

She, AC, and Emmeline helped Lois walk back towards the car so she could properly recover at the Kent farm.

While Emmeline didn't wish what had happened to Lois on anyone, at least no one had to see her in her unflattering swimsuit now.

* * *

Emmeline was not as nervous as she expected to be on her first day of college. She had prepared as much as she could and had already walked her classes so she wouldn't be late for any of them.

After her first two classes of the day, she was about to grab lunch when she ran into Clark.

"Hey!" she greeted with a bright smile.

Clark realized that it had actually been quite a while since he had seen her smile like that. He berated himself a little for not being there for her as much as he could've been after her mother had died. He had spent so much time with Lana, thankful he finally had a relationship with her, that he had put her above everything else.

Sometimes, he really wished he was a better friend to her.

"How's your first day going?" she asked.

"It's…interesting to say the least. I've got this one professor who certainly does not think highly of Lex Luthor."

"Well, that wouldn't really put him in the minority."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I just wasn't prepared for him to be so passionate about it in class."

"Well, it's only day one. He may end up being the professor who's going to change your life."

"How's your first day?"

"It's great. I already love my classes. And get this. I met with my advisor, and I came in with so many credits from classes I took in high school that if I play my cards right and maybe do a few internships, I could graduate in two years."

"That's great."

"Yeah, and it would be less stress on my dad. So it's going to take a lot of work and several full loads, but I'm going to try my best."

"If anyone can do it, you can."

"Thanks. I'm, um, gonna go get some lunch. Do you wanna join me?"

"Thanks, but I'm actually going to go meet Lana for a lunch date. Rain check?"

"Sure."

As Clark walked off, Emmeline sighed to herself. She really was happy for them. She was. She just wished she didn't keep getting left behind.

* * *

At the Talon, Clark, Lana, and Emmeline watched as AC downed his fifth glass of water in two minutes.

"You guys, you should've seen this guy, it was amazing," Lois explained, telling them about their impromptu race at Crater Lake. "I've never seen anybody swim so fast."

"Or drink so much water," Lana added.

"It keeps my skin soft," AC smiled.

"So how do you like the University of Miami?" Clark asked almost accusatorily.

Lois looked at AC in surprise. "You go to school in Miami?"

AC's brow furrowed as he looked at Clark. "Yeah. How do you know that?"

"I'm a big fan of college swimming," Clark answered.

"Really?" Lana said with disbelief. "Since when?"

"Since Arthur Curry started dominating the sport. So how'd you learn to swim so fast?"

"I don't know," AC told him. "I guess it runs in the family. My dad operates a lighthouse down South. Swims like a lead weight. So it must have been my mom with the skills, but she died when I was a baby."

"AC, I'm so sorry," Lois said.

"I'm not gonna say it doesn't suck but, you know, growing up by the water was awesome. I probably spent more time in it than out."

"And what brings you to the most landlocked spot on the map?" Clark continued with his interrogation.

"Crater Lake. Last few months, a bunch of fish have been dying off. The EPA blames it on temperature change, but I think that's totally bogus."

"Smallville's a long way to go to check on temperature changes."

"Not if you care about the world you live in. See, people think what happens in oceans and lakes doesn't affect their lives. It does. It's all connected."

"Do you really believe that, or is that a pick-up line for girls?"

"Clark," Lana admonished.

"Smallville, can I talk to you over here for a minute?" Lois said pointedly. She quickly pulled him out of earshot of the others, though from the body language, she was clearly extremely ticked off. Once their little conversation had finished, she came back over to AC. "I'm sorry about that."

"No, it's cool," he said as he stood up. "I gotta bounce."

"Do you want some company?"

"No, I have a few things I need to take care of so I'll just swing by later."

AC left the Talon. The three girls looked at Clark in disbelief and disappointment.

"You know, you're right. I was being a jerk," he told them. "I'm gonna go apologize."

Lois groaned and sat on one of the counter chairs. "I don't know how you put up with him, Lana."

"Maybe he's just showing that he cares in his own Clark way," Emmeline said. "He's looking out for you since your dad's not around for the whole third-degree routine."

"If I need someone to play Dad, I'll let him know. Until then, he can stay out of my business. You know, Emmeline, you always try to justify people's actions. Sometimes, they're just in the wrong."

* * *

Emmeline sat at the edge of the dock and let her feet dangle in the water. She liked this place a lot more when she was the only one here.

Though at the moment, she didn't really want to be alone. She felt like she had been forced to be alone for so long. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she just felt…left out. Ever since the beginning of the summer, Chloe and Clark clearly knew something she didn't or at least he was now aware that she knew his big secret. And while she always believed that they would tell her what that was when the time was right, it hurt a little to know that the secret brought them closer together and left her being the third-wheel.

Then of course there was Clark and Lana who had started dating and left her and Chloe to be wishful observers.

And now that Lois was back, that feeling just increased. She knew Lois didn't mean for that to happen, but it still had.

"You know, all this time I've been here, I don't think I've ever gotten your name."

Emmeline turned to find AC take a seat next to her. "What are you doing here?"

"That's an interesting name."

She smiled a little. "It's Emmeline."

"Well, Emmeline, it is nice to officially meet you. What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

"I believe I asked you the same thing first."

"I asked you second."

"Are you always this impossible?"

"Absolutely."

"I don't know. I just…needed to think."

"About what?"

"Stuff."

"Now who's being impossible?"

Emmeline smiled again. "How long do you plan on sticking around anyway?"

"Tired of me already?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Yeah, I know. Actually, I'm leaving today."

"Why so sudden? Smallville's not that bad, is it?"

"No. I just…have other places I need to be."

"Did you get done what you needed to here?"

"Yeah. Well, with Clark's help."

"Oh, so he warmed up to you, did he? He was being pretty icy back at the Talon. I don't think I've ever seen him like that before."

"Let's just say I got him to see things from my point of view."

Emmeline started to stand up. "I'm gonna head back now. I've got homework waiting for me."

With her feet wet from being in the water, Emmeline misstepped and slipped off the dock into the lake.

AC quickly jumped in after her. He put his arm around her waist and resurfaced with her. Then he lifted her up so she could get back on the dock easier.

"I didn't need you to jump in after me," she said hardly as she quickly stood up.

"Maybe not, but I'll never deny myself a dip in the water."

Emmeline self-consciously crossed her arms. She didn't like her wet clothes clinging to her frame for him to see. She wished she had worn more than just shorts and a tank top. This was just as bad as someone seeing her in her swimsuit.

"As if things couldn't get any worse," she muttered to herself.

AC hopped out of the water himself, curious as to why those words were laced with so much pain. "What's up?"

"Nothing."

He slowly stepped in front of her. "Really?"

"You're leaving. Why do you want to help?"

"Well, if I'm leaving, who am I gonna tell anything to?"

Emmeline sighed. "It's just lately…I feel so…disconnected from everyone. I lost my mom recently, and a part of me feels as if that's why I feel that way. It seems like I'm peering in from the outside, and I'm separated by a thick piece of glass so I can see and hear everything, but I'm not really there."

"How long have you felt this way?"

"I don't know. Maybe a few weeks."

"And have you told anyone?"

"What difference would that make? They would just end up feeling guilty for something that's my fault."

"Your fault? So just because you've lost someone important to you and you're going through the grieving process, it's your fault?"

Emmeline quieted. When he put it like that, the whole notion of it did seem kind of ridiculous.

"This feeling of being disconnected, it's part of that process. No one truly knows exactly what you're going through or how you feel. But I promise, that stage will come to an end. All stages have to end eventually." He put his hands on her arms. "You'll get through this."

Emmeline smirked a little. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were flirting."

AC laughed kindly. "No, not that I don't think you're a wonderful person. I'm just always on the look-out for good friends."

"Good, because if you flirted with me while kissing Lois, I would've had some words."

He lost a bit of his smile. "It was probably a little cruel of me to start something I wouldn't end up finishing. I don't know when I'm coming back, so it's not like I can ask her to wait for me."

"That's what my last boyfriend said. But do you regret it?"

"No."

"Neither does she. And if that's the case, then it was really all worth it, wasn't it?"

AC smiled again. "Yeah. It was."

Emmeline started heading down the dock back towards the sand. "I'll see around, AC. Good luck with…whatever it is you end up doing. And…thanks."

"I'll see ya, Emmeline. Best of luck to you too."

* * *

The next day on campus, Emmeline left her class and started walking to the dining hall.

"Em!" someone called.

She turned to find Clark hurrying to catch up to her. "Glad I caught you. I was thinking…how about that lunch? My treat."

Emmeline smiled. "Great."

As the two of them walked off, Emmeline felt herself step through the glass she had built up around her.


	93. Thirst

With everyone now in college, what also came was the search for internships that would jumpstart the dream career.

Chloe and Emmeline were no exceptions, but Chloe was having a bit more luck than Emmeline was. She had met with the editor-in-chief at the Daily Planet and though the meeting hadn't been exactly what she wanted, if Chloe could bring in a good story, she had a good chance at getting a solid job. One Lionel Luthor couldn't get her fired from.

In addition to that challenge, Chloe was also dealing with a horrible roommate who didn't agree with her posting up her old Wall of Weird articles and the fact that Lana, who had been given late acceptance to Met U, was acting incredibly strange.

Emmeline decided to pay her best friend a visit to see if they could both figure out what was going on.

Clark, ever the worried boyfriend, called them up to see if they had any leads.

"We don't know what's going on with Lana," Chloe said into the phone. "But we went over to the sorority house today to say hi, and one of the pretty plastic people told us that she was still asleep…at 3:00 in the afternoon."

"Yeah, I tried calling her too, but she won't pick up," Clark answered through speakerphone. "Maybe she needs a little space."

"I don't think that's the problem," Emmeline put in. "From what I've seen, your relationship's been going great."

"Em's right," Chloe stated. "I think she's more in need of some serious deprogramming."

"What do you mean?" Clark asked.

"Well, I'm pulling up some information for a story I'm working on, and I think there's a lot more going on at that house than pedicures and pillow fights. I think you better get over here—"

Her sentence was interrupted by a knock on her dorm room door.

Emmeline answered it for her, and to her surprise, there stood Clark. Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "Wait, how did you get here so fast?"

"I was already on my way here," he told her. He pushed past her and sat down on the chair next to Chloe.

Was no one really going to question what just happened?

"What do you got?"

Chloe looked at her computer, not even mentioning his uncanny timing in the slightest. "Okay, six years ago, Tri Psi was just your regular sorority, and then their new president took over."

"Buffy Sanders."

"Yeah. After that, they became the most exclusive sorority at Met U. They get more pledges than any other Greek sorority every year, but they only choose one girl to be a part of Tri Psi."

"Lana."

"Yeah. It looks like she's a member for life. According to this, ever since Buffy Sanders took over, not one Tri Psi has ever left the sisterhood."

"Think that has something to do with the way Lana's been acting?"

"I think that there's only one way that we can be sure."

Chloe handed the both of them a flyer advertising a Tri Psi Halloween party.

"A costume party?" Clark asked with a sense of panic.

"It's the perfect cover for us to get in there and poke around."

"I hate costumes."

"Me too," Emmeline added. "Isn't there any other way?"

Chloe just shrugged her shoulders.

* * *

To Emmeline and Clark's utter disdain, Chloe forced them all to hurry and find costumes so they could attend the Halloween party that night.

Chloe dressed as a schoolgirl while Clark dressed up as Zorro.

When Emmeline said that she would just put on a t-shirt with holes and call herself a lazy college student, that didn't fly very well.

"Em, this is a sorority party," Chloe said firmly. "Sorry, but you gotta dress just a bit slutty."

"You do realize that word isn't even in my vocabulary, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I'll find something for you."

That was how Emmeline met up with them wearing a red skirt that reached to her knees with '25¢' on it and a strapless white shirt with small puffballs glued all over it so she could go as a gumball machine. Chloe put her long brown hair in a French braid for her to keep her shoulders exposed. At these kinds of parties, the more skin she had showing, the better.

When she approached, she could see Clark's eyes widen a little even beneath his mask, and her face brightened as red as her skirt.

"Uh…hey," she said quietly avoiding eye contact. "Let's just…get this over with."

With a smile, Chloe escorted them all to the door.

A sorority girl dressed as a sexy rabbit answered it. "Invitation?"

"Right, invitation," Chloe said perkily. "I had one when I was at the, um, nail salon and then, um, and then, of course, I went to get waxed and to the tanning bed, so I…" Chloe noticed the way the girl hungrily eyed Clark. "Carlos, do you remember where I put it?"

Clark didn't answer as he stared back at the girl.

"Carlos?"

He finally broke out of his reverie and looked from Chloe back to the girl. "No. No, I don't."

Chloe smiled apologetically at the girl.

"I'm not supposed to let you in without an invitation," the girl said. She smiled again at Clark. "But I won't tell if you don't… _Carlos_."

Chloe discreetly rolled her eyes. "Great. Okay, well…" She and Emmeline walked inside the door but stopped when they realized Clark wasn't following. Because he was smiling broadly at the sorority girl. Chloe hurriedly went back and snatched his hand. "Let's go, Carlos."

All of them went inside the house, aware that the sorority girl still had yet to take her eyes off Clark.

When they went into the main room, Emmeline tensed. Girls dressed in extremely seductive outfits danced even more seductively with various men dressed in equally seductive costumes. She wished that she could be absolutely anywhere else.

"So, uh, Carlos, huh?" Clark teased.

"It starts with a C," Chloe responded. "Don't you think the, uh, cape was a little much?"

"I kind of like it. It's not too bad. It's the mask. It slides around. I can hardly see anything sometimes."

Chloe's eyes widened when she saw Lana, dressed as a cat, seductively dancing with a guy dressed as a cowboy. She frantically turned to Clark before he saw her too. "Why don't you check upstairs, see if you can find anything? I'll scope things out down here."

"If you see Lana—"

"I'll let her know that you're here."

Clark hurried upstairs to see what he could find on Buffy or the other sorority girls while Chloe went over to Lana and yanked her away from the cowboy. The both of them started up the stairs to talk, and Emmeline was just about to follow them when someone grabbed her wrist.

"Gumball machine, huh?" a shirtless guy smirked as he pulled her towards him. "Well, I sure would like a piece of you."

"Let go," Emmeline said. She knew this costume had been a bad idea.

The man put his arm around her waist. "Now why would I want to do that?"

Channeling the incredible amount of frustration she'd experienced in the last few weeks, Emmeline put her hands on his chest and pushed him away just enough for her to get some room to slap his face. "I said let go."

The man's smirk went away. "And I said I didn't want to."

Tightly clinging onto her, he pushed her onto the couch in the room and climbed on top of her. She pushed on his chest again to no avail.

"Get off me!" she cried. "Help! Please, stop!"

No could hear her pleas over the loud music.

The man leaned down and ran his tongue across her cheek as she whimpered. His hand slowly ran up her hip, taking some of her skirt with it.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Within the next second, the man had been flung off her. She quickly stood up from the couch and wiped her cheek. When she realized that once again, Clark was her savior, she was grateful, but she really wished she didn't constantly have to be saved by him. She was bordering on pathetic.

"Leave her alone," Clark said to the man in a deadly serious tone.

The man just smirked again and walked off.

Clark turned to face Emmeline as she quickly got off the couch. "You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks."

He turned his head for a moment as if he appeared to be listening to something. Then he grabbed Emmeline's wrist and exclaimed, "Come on!" They took off up the stairs.

For all the things Emmeline expected to stumble upon, seeing Lana biting Chloe on the neck was definitely not one of them.

Lana looked up at them with frenzied eyes and bloodstained teeth set in a sick grin.

"Lana?" Clark said in surprise.

Lana tossed an unconscious Chloe towards him, and Clark caught her in his arms. Two holes sat right on her neck dripping blood.

Lana slowly backed up to the window before disappearing.

Emmeline looked at Clark with wide eyes.

Was Lana Lang really a vampire?!

* * *

Clark and Emmeline rushed Chloe to the nearest hospital for the bite to get treated. However, the results left the doctor dumbfounded, and Chloe's condition did not improve.

The both of them looked at her unconscious in the hospital bed, still baffled by how exactly she had gotten there.

"Frankly, I don't know what else to try," the doctor told them honestly. "We've given her a transfusion, but there's been no improvement."

"What's wrong with her?" Clark asked.

"Well, as near as we can tell, she's been infected with some sort of…rabies-like virus. It was probably transmitted through the saliva of whatever animal bit her. It's attacking her red blood cells, preventing them from regenerating."

"Is there anything you can do?"

"We can keep up the transfusions and hope she stabilizes. I'm sorry."

The doctor put the clipboard on the monitor and left the room.

Emmeline went to the side of the bed and took Chloe's hand in her own.

Clark slowly approached the end of the bed. "You have to fight it, Chloe," he said softly. "You have to fight it."

"Is she all right?"

Both of them turned to the door and found a man staring into the room. Emmeline didn't know him, but it appeared Clark did.

"Professor, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Visiting a sick colleague," the professor answered. "Though he seems to be doing better than your friend." He looked over at Emmeline. "And who might you be?"

"Oh, Em, this is one of my professors at CKU, Professor Fine. Professor, this is my friend, Emmeline."

Emmeline smiled shyly. "Clark talks a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise," the professor answered.

Emmeline's stomach flipped a little when she met his eyes. They looked so…cold. And they seemed to be sizing her up as if considering what he should do with her. It really freaked her out, but it didn't seem like Clark noticed.

"What happened to her?" he finally asked Clark referring to Chloe.

"She was bitten," Clark told him.

"By what?"

"I know how this is gonna sound, but I think she was attacked by a vampire."

"Clark, there's no such thing as vampires."

"I know what I saw, Professor. She's lost a lot of blood, and the transfusion didn't work because she's infected by some weird strain of…rabies."

"Rabies?" Professor Fine came into the room and examined the chart the doctor had left behind. "You might wanna have a word with your buddy, Lex Luthor."

"Lex?"

"Yeah, ask him about Project 1138."

"You got that just from looking at Chloe's chart?"

"I recognize the symptoms from my research at LuthorCorp. Now, you wanna stand around here playing 20 Questions or you wanna save your friend's life?"

Clark quickly hurried out of the room to find Lex and get some answers so he could save both Lana and Chloe.

Professor Fine looked up at Emmeline with a smooth smile. "I have a feeling she'll be okay. Clark is nothing if not persistent. Though he could sometimes choose better friends."

"Clark isn't friends with Lex anymore if that's what you're insinuating," Emmeline said.

"He may say so, but a friendship that lasted that long isn't simply cut off by a few words."

"He stayed for a lot longer than most people would have because Clark chooses to see the good in people."

"Oh, I know. That might come back to hurt him someday."

If she wasn't mistaken, Emmeline could've sworn he smirked, like he knew some big secret she didn't. A lot of that seemed to be going around lately.

"It was nice meeting you."

Emmeline nervously watched him go. She hoped she was wrong about this uneasy feeling, but her gut rarely ever betrayed her.

She looked down at Chloe, her eyes pulled to the two holes in her neck. "Clark's going to help you. We both are."

Knowing that waiting around the hospital room for something to happen was pointless, Emmeline decided to head back to the sorority house and see if she could talk some sense into Lana. Hopefully without all the frenzied bloodlust, she'd be a bit easier to talk to and wouldn't suck her blood too.

After arriving at the house, she saw that the front door was still open. Why, she didn't know, but she wasn't going to question her luck. She started up the steps and peeked inside where she saw Lana laying a weakened Clark in front of the fireplace. Had Lana bitten him already?!

"Nice work," Buffy said as she walked in followed by her three loyal members. "He's quite a catch. One hundred percent corn-fed Kansas beef. Let's eat."

Emmeline ducked behind a bush to avoid being seen. She hoped they couldn't smell her.

Lana got up and walked towards them. "Wait, isn't there something else we can do with him?"

"Like what? Barbecue?"

"No, like convert him. Into one of us."

Buffy and her friends started laughing.

"We're a sorority, not a fraternity," one of them said as if speaking to a child.

"No boys allowed," another added.

"You don't understand," Lana said firmly. "He's special."

"Not to me," Buffy smirked. "Get out of the way."

She started towards Clark, but Lana firmly grabbed her arm. "No."

Buffy yanked her arm out of Lana's grasp. "Excuse me."

"He's mine. You're not touching him."

Buffy laughed mockingly before whacking Lana in the face, sending her flying and rolling out onto the porch. Emmeline ducked further behind the bush.

Buffy crouched down and hissed as she made her fangs grow. "I'm really disappointed in you, Lana. Looks like you're not Tri Psi material after all."

Just as Buffy lunged at Lana, heat came from Lana's eyes and disintegrated the other vampire. Emmeline's eyes widened. How in the world had she just done that? Heat vision wasn't exactly a power vampires were known for. And it was clear Buffy didn't have that power or she would've used it long before now. So why did Lana have it while none of the other vampires did?

Lana stood up and walked back inside the house towards the other three girls who looked more than a little nervous. "Looks like I'm making the rules now. Anyone have a problem with that?"

The girls all chorused their panicked congratulations and praises.

"Get out. Get out!"

All of them quickly hurried out of the house, passing right by Emmeline. When the coast was clear, she came out of her hiding place and quietly walked inside the house, taking off her shoes to make sure that Lana couldn't see or hear her.

Lana knelt down by Clark's side and ran her hands through his hair. "Clark. Clark, it's okay. I'm here."

"Listen to me," Clark said weakly. "You're sick."

"No. No, I'm not. I've never felt better. Clark, I know what's inside of you. I've felt your strength. And now I want you to feel mine."

"No. No, this is not who you are."

"But maybe it is. Maybe I've been hiding it from you all along. Just like you were hiding who you really are from me."

"No, please."

"Clark, don't fight it. We're meant to be together. You know that in your heart. And this way we can be. Forever. All it takes is one drop of blood."

"Lana, no."

Lana made her fangs appear and slowly cut her tongue with her nail.

While she made her little soliloquy, Emmeline silently came up behind her. _I'm sorry, Lana_ , she thought. She took one of her shoes in her hand and hit Lana on the side of the head as hard as she could. Like she suspected, it didn't do much damage with her vampiric strength, but it was enough to stun her and knock her a couple feet from Clark.

Emmeline ran to Clark's side. "Hey, you okay?"

Her eyes widened at the bite mark on his neck. She was too late.

Clark moved his hand, and she saw he was gripping a large syringe filled with bright green liquid. "In the heart," he mustered out.

Emmeline whipped the cap off the syringe.

Lana whipped around to look at Emmeline with killer eyes. "You," she growled.

She lunged towards her, but Emmeline quickly turned around and plunged the long needle directly into Lana's heart. Lana screamed in agony as she pushed the liquid inside her.

Just seconds after she extracted the needle, Lana passed out onto the floor.

Emmeline turned back to Clark. To her astonishment, the bite mark on his neck had disappeared.

Clark sat up, looking a thousand times better than he had a few seconds ago.

"Looks like this time, I saved you," Emmeline smiled.

* * *

When Emmeline went to visit Chloe in her dorm room, her blonde friend pulled her right back out.

"Come on!" she said excitedly. "We are going to go out to the fanciest restaurant and order whatever our hearts desire."

"Why? What's the occasion?"

Chloe smiled broadly. "I got a job at the Daily Planet."

Emmeline laughed and happily hugged her. "Oh, my goodness, that's fantastic!"

"Can you believe it?! I'm working at my dream job! I mean, I'm starting in the basement, but I don't even care. I'll work my way up just like any other employee."

"I'm so happy for you! You deserve this."

"How's the internship hunt going for you?"

Emmeline sighed. "I've applied to several places, but I haven't gotten anything yet."

"I could use my connections and see if I can find something."

"Thanks, but I really want to be able to do this on my own."

"I understand that. You'll find one. And if anyone is smart, they'll be happy to take you on."

"I'm hoping a couple of my psych professors will help me find something. I really want to find something where I can help people with meteor abilities."

"I doubt those people are willing to share that they have powers."

"Yeah, I know. But I know a lot of them just need someone to talk to who won't judge them. I wish I could give them that."

"Well, now you can say you have experience dealing with vampires."

"Yeah, about that, there's something I just don't understand. Clark's bite mark healed within seconds after I gave Lana the serum. But yours is still there. It's barely noticeable by now, but it stayed for days after you were bitten. And then there's Lana suddenly having heat vision. Why was she the only vampire to get that, and why did it not appear until after she allegedly bit Clark?"

"You know, if I had answers to the all of the 'Whys' that happen to us, I would've gotten into the Daily Planet much sooner and started on the top floor rather than the basement."

"I hate not understanding. Maybe one day it'll all make sense."

Chloe bit her bottom lip. She absolutely hated having to hide the truth about Clark from Emmeline, and she knew that he did too. But it was for her safety, and they both knew it.

However, with the way things were going, Emmeline was getting closer and closer to finding out his secret, and Chloe wasn't sure how long the both of them could keep her from discovering the truth.


End file.
